Home Defense

Here's a news story that may call into question some of the assumptions that pass for gospel in the area of home defense. It seems two fellows had decided to burglarize a home, and drove on over to it where one of them gained entry. No details as to how, but the homeowner, who was in the shower, was alerted to the mischief by a loud thump. Arming himself with a shotgun, he discovers a goblin in the hallway.

I'll not fault the news media for not being top-notch forensic investigators as that sort of thing requires training of the sort you don't normally get at J-school, but enough details emerge to make some intelligent guesses. The perp, at the end of the story was reportedly suffering from two shots from a 12 ga shotgun, one to the buttocks. I'm going to guess the first one was to let him know he wasn't supposed to be where he was, and the second was to let him know he wasn't leaving quickly enough.

Lesson here is that all those stories about what a man-stopper the 12 ga is probably ought to come with an asterisk and a paragraph of disclaimer stuff. Things like the value of shot placement, and the relative effectiveness of #8 birdshot vs 00 buck and 2-1/2" shells vs 3".

So much also for the "rack a round and watch them run" theory. Sometimes a loud boom is also required.

The report goes on to say that the wounded man then ran out of the house and back to the waiting getaway car, which then got away. Good advice here: Never stick around to argue with a naked man with a shotgun. He's probably not going to be amenable to reasoned discourse.

Following the escape, the wheel man must have decided that his partner was going to require more medical attention that he was likely to get back home, and transported him to the best location he could think of to get him quick professional attention; the drive through of a local McDonalds.

Happy ending; The bad guys are in custody and the homeowner isn't. Is the 12ga a brick-wall man stopper? Depends on several factors. Do you need 00 buck or slugs? Probably not, but remember if someone can run out of the house and get into the getaway car after being shot twice, he could probably run the remaining few feet toward you and stick you with a knife if he was so inclined.

The biggest factor that makes a weapon effective in a situation like this is shot placement. If you're going to keep a gun for self defense, the most important factor will be your ability to use it.