Friday morning I woke up early, as usual. I waltzed--well, maybe more like clambered--into the kitchen to start some tea, when I noticed immediately that the door to my shed was swung wide open. It's never left like that. Ever. If it is, it's very unusual for me to forget or not to notice when I come home.
Ironically, I wasn't worried. That was the gut check. Still, it wouldn't be the first time a stow-away or thief had invaded an outbuilding where I lived. The thing is, the door knob has a ghetto rope on it that would prevent the door from just swinging up open. The way it's set up, the rope has to be removed by hand. So either Clare or I forgot to shut the door at one point, or someone else did.
As I got dressed, I asked Clare if she had gone to the shed the day before, and she said no. So I grabbed my Glock, loaded and cocked it, and went out there to see WTF is up.
I cleared the chicken coup then the shed. Nobody home. Nothing seemed unusual or out of place. I shut the door and that was that.
I know there are some out there who would say that if you even think your home or property has been invaded, you should call the police and not try to handle it yourself. If there is clear evidence of a break in, such as a shattered glass or a breached door, ok, no objection. But I am not going to call the cops for a shed with a door I may have left open. Had someone been in the shed, they would have been questioned and then, depending on the vagrant, shooed away or held at gun point while I call 9-1-1 on my cell. Or, if they had been violent, they would be capped. No questions asked.
Contrary to popular belief, I am not a trigger-happy moe-foe. Simply put, the worst can happen.
If you have a gun in your hands or at your side, the odds, generally speaking, are greatly increased in your favor. You have more options. You don't have to play dead to dial 9-1-1 like the secretary did this week in Binghamton, New York, while a crazed shooter, a Cho-wannabe, kills 14 innocent people because his life took a turn for the worse. No, you keep your SA, draw and shoot the mother. That's what you do.
Do not be a sheep. Thinking anything can't or won't happen doesn't make it so. If you haven't yet purchased a firearm or two to protect you and your family. Ask yourself, what are you waiting for?
Best to you all. Over and Out.
--Nick-Dog
5 comments:
Nicely done. Have you looked into getting any training? I have a Xe (formerly Blackwater) facility not too far away in IL, and Gunsite is running some courses here in IN. I need to get some hours of training with the shotgun and pistol so I will know what to do when the time comes that I need to defend myself.
Thanks man.
On the one hand, I kind of feel stupid about this post. On the other, I really don't.
I can't tell you how many times, before I was a gun owner, I'd think to myself, coming home to a dark cottage in the middle of no where, how I wish I had a gun. Seriously. You never no what's behind door number one, and if you have any doubts, you draw and walk in. :)
Feels way better.
Anyway, I've had no formal gun training, other than watching Red Dawn and the Bourne Movies numerous times. JK. In all seriousness, I've only looked it into briefly, but is something I should look into more.
A local gun sensei who is a personal friend would be the ideal way to go for me, but that's a bit like finding a needle in a haystack.
I've heard about Xe in IL. Do they have a good reputation?
--Nick-Dog
I've read some reviews of their training on various forums and the word is good. IL is close to your family obviously, but their NC facility is in striking distance for you as well. The one thing I've heard is that the classes are geared more toward shooting than tactics.
Nick, you've inspired me. My hubby has a gun and knows how to use it, but I've never handled it. I think I'd better learn how.
I don't think you're trigger happy--just realistic about what can go wrong in our world.
--Elizabeth Butina
Wow, Elizabeth. Awesome.
Yes, do ask your husband to show you everything about it. How to hold it, load it, cock it, unload it, field strip it, everything. Then ask him to take you shooting.:)
The more you know and are familiar with a weapon, the more control and options you have at your disposal.
Do not be intimidated. Becoming comfortable with a weapon takes time and practice.
May the force be with you.
--Nick-Dog
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