Am I Prepared?

It was a Tuesday afternoon, and my wife was meeting friends after work for dinner. Both our son and daughter were at work, so I was the first to arrive home.

We have two rescued dogs who tend to get into stuff when they are bored, so we keep them closed out of the bedrooms when we’re gone during the day. Opening the front door, they did not greet me in their usual manner. In fact, they were greeting me from the bedroom. I double-checked the driveway, thinking maybe I just had not seen my daughter’s car.

I walked down the hallway toward the bedroom, and found our bedroom door closed. Not completely, but enough to keep them from nosing their way out. I dismissed it, thinking my wife just had not pulled it completely closed when she left. It was odd for her, but certainly possible.

 

Letting the dogs outside, I also noticed the bottom drawer of her jewelry armoire was halfway opened. The younger dog is certainly curious enough to paw the drawer open, especially if she thinks it may contain food, or a racquetball, which is her favorite toy. Standing on the patio, waiting for the dogs to do their business, I turned, and suddenly saw something that twisted my gut.

Just to the left of the doorknob on our French door was a softball-sized hole. The entire glass door was spider-webbed. Suddenly, the entire scene repeated itself…the open bedroom door, and the open jewelry armoire drawer…and the fact that I had just walked through the house unprepared.

 

 

We moved into our current house five and a half years ago. The neighborhood is decent enough, although there are some lower-rent duplexes just a couple of blocks away. In spite of that, we have never put a gate on our lock because there was never a need. One time, several months ago, someone got into my son’s car when it was parked in the street. It had been unlocked, and they only stole some change, so it was not serious. However, we had never had any issues where we felt in danger in any way.

I have been a CHL holder for a few years now, and was carrying at the time. But suddenly, I was hit with the realization that I may walk back into the house to face an intruder, or two. I was carrying my S&W .40, but inside were my .12 gauge shotgun and a 9 mm handgun. All of the stories you hear on the news could potentially describe my situation.

 

 

 

I also knew at any moment, my son and or daughter might be coming home. I pulled my gun, and put one in the chamber. I had fourteen shots, and feel I am proficient with the Sigma. However, I could be facing seven shots of 9 mm and five shotgun blasts. I said a quick prayer, and entered the bedroom again, holding my firearm out, ready for battle.

 

 

A quick glance told me my shotgun was undisturbed. One down; one to go. The dogs came back in after me, but were not barking, which gave me a little peace. Quickly making my way to the Kel-Tec, it was just as I had left it.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

Refusing to get complacent, I continued making my way through the entire house, checking every closet, under the beds, and the garage. My dogs and I were alone.

Making my way to the back door, I saw both the knob and the deadbolt locked.

Maybe no one came in,I thought. Maybe it was just someone throwing something from another backyard.

Finding a rock in the living room, thirty feet from the back door negated that hope.

I walked next door, to a neighbor who is home frequently during the day. It was a shot in the dark, (so to speak), but maybe he had seen, or heard something. As we were talking, a Sheriff’s Deputy who lives a few houses down drove by in his cruiser. I flagged him down, and he looked at the damage.

“Someone definitely tried to get in,” he said.

I told him I had briefly looked through the jewelry, and nothing appeared to be missing. We thought at the time the dogs may have prevented them from entering. It was not until later we found some things were missing, and others have been disturbed.

I called the police, and was told they could send someone by, but it would be awhile. As I waited, I cleaned up what I could, and replayed what had happened. One question kept coming to my mind:

Had I been prepared for a confrontation?

Thankfully, that question was not answered in a physical way that afternoon. Yes, I was armed. And yes, I feel proficient. In addition, I have studied Krav Maga for a while to learn to defend myself and my family. But I potentially faced more than one attacker, and possibly more than one gun. Was my knowledge, or my gun, enough?

We have all read stories about criminal encounters, and people interrupting burglaries. We live in a world where evil is always ready to invade our quiet, peaceful lives. Violence does not need a reason to destroy our world, and turn our lives upside down. That is exactly the reason I carry. I want to know that wherever I am, and whatever may happen, I am at least able to increase my chances of survival.

And I ask again:

Was I prepared for a confrontation?

Reading this, you may think I was. I have gone over it dozens of times. Entering the house the second time, I believe I was. However, I walked in the first time,completely unprepared for anything. If someone had met me by the front door, I would have been taken by surprise, and they would have had the upper hand. As soon as I saw that the dogs were not at the door, and verified my daughter was not yet home, I should have pulled my gun.

The preparation I had before entering the second time did not happen by accident. And it did not happen because I bought a gun, or even because I have a license to carry. It took a lot to get to that point.

How do you pass a physics test in school? You study. You do not go buy a physics book, and put it on your shelf, and decide you know physics. You do not sign up for a physics class, and attend once or twice. You read the book; you learn the formulas; you ask questions; and you go over it and over it until youknow it.

If you have made the decision to carry a firearm, I applaud you…if you are doing it for the right reason, and in the right way. Do not get a license so you can be “cool” because you can carry a gun. If you want to be able to protect yourself, your family, and the innocent people around you, that is awesome. However, even that is not enough. You need to spend time on the range, learning to draw and shoot your weapon. Can you hit a target consistently? Under stress?

If you take a martial art, or some other form of self-defense, that’s great. But are you doing it so you can say, “I know Karate?” Or are you doing it to learn to defend yourself, hoping you will never have to actually use it? And do you just attend class once or twice a week so you can say you “do” it? Do you study and practice outside of class?

I recently saw a posting on a school board close to our house. It read:

“Do not study until you get it right. Study until you cannot get it wrong.”

I am very thankful I was not actually put to the test that afternoon a couple of weeks ago. It was just enough of a shock to make me realize how close I may have come to a horrible situation. Had I walked in on someone, it could have become very ugly very fast.

Every time you drive, I hope you wear your seatbelt. If you don’t, you are being foolish. No one expects to have an accident. But if you are ever in one, you will not have time to put your belt on. No one expects to face an intruder in your home, or on the streets. However, if you ever do, you need to have prepared ahead of time.

Have a defense, or two…or three. Do not leave them on the shelf. Use them; learn them; practice them;know them…until you can’t get it wrong.