With all of the holiday shopping going on over the next month, you ought to consider getting your spouse a gun. Or, if you want to be selfless like me, you can give your spouse your current gun so you can get a new one. (Yes, my wife’s a lucky lady.)
So why do you need to get your spouse a gun? Well, because of this interesting story out of Oakdale, California…
Recently, a couple and their son were awoken by loud sounds in their home. Both the husband and wife have guns and immediately armed themselves. The husband finds an intruder in the living room and doesn’t shoot, but gives verbal commands for the intruder to leave the house, which the intruder does.
However, minutes later the homeowners hear the sound of glass breaking at the backdoor. It’s the same intruder and the wife fires two shots as the intruder tries to enter the house. Once the shots are fired, the intruder flees.
But it’s not over yet…
The same intruder went to a bedroom window of the home, broke the glass and entered the home. This time the husband shot the intruder and kept his gun pointed at the intruder until the police arrived. Not surprisingly, the intruder was out on probation for drug related offenses and was probably under the influence at the time of the home invasion.
Obviously, I wasn’t in this couple’s home so I don’t know where the husband was when the wife had to shoot the intruder coming in the back door or where the wife was when the husband had to shoot the intruder in the bedroom. Maybe the other spouse was upstairs or checking out another area of the house and was far away.
My point is, (if you can convince them) it’s a good idea to have your spouse armed and trained because that’s more people to protect your home in the event of an invasion. For example, I have my gun on my side of the bed and my wife has her gun (a Glock 19) on her side of the bed, and both are in rapid access safes.
If something ever happened to me, I’m glad to know that my wife is another line of defense in not only protecting herself, but also protecting our daughter. Of course, since I travel a good amount this means she can also take care of herself when I’m away.
So don’t pass up this opportunity to give thanks to your spouse for all that they do for you by giving them your gun and getting yourself a new one.
Your spouse doesn’t like guns? Click here to read our article How to Make Your Spouse Like Guns.
Sounds like a good plan. I enjoy your articles, but if you continue including video ads with hem, I will have to unsubscribe. Very irritating and take up my data limit.
Stop your friggin’ complaining.
You ever heard of AdBlock?
It’s free.
You’re welcome.
Merry Christmas.
Yup, Adblock. It’s just a little extension for your browsers. Set it and forget it. The annoying ads won’t be popping up in your face anymore.
3rd for Adblock. I forget ads even exist!
I didn’t even know this site HAD ADS
Solid plan. I would assume the husband was located where the intruder tried the first time, while the wife was checking the back. This wife is a keeper.
When out my wife and I both carry the same model gun allowing us to share mags if things have hit the fan in a big way. We can also pick up the other’s gun if the situation arises. I don’t foresee ever having to use even one entire magazine, but it’s nice to know that between us there are four of them.
A bonus>>> Mag sharing .. And remember A good husband always provides cover fire for her Mag change .. Mine is auto handicapped. so no mag sharing ..
While I don’t disagree with the notion of having more than on defender in the house, I think that you miss a couple of very important points. First, once armed defenders separate, they run the risk of shooting each other without a crystal clear means of identifying each in the nano seconds that it takes for tightly wound nerves to react to imminent assault.
Second, who was on the phone to 911? With the average of eight minutes or so that it takes for LE to arrive on the scene I want that clock started as soon as possible after it is certain that there is a threat.
Sarah McKinley had a phone in one hand with 911 on the line, a shotgun in the other hand and a handgun in her waistband. She was ready to fight but doing everything within her power to avoid the fight. She also had the door barricaded with furniture.
Your point of multiple armed defenders is well taken but your illustration is almost ludicrous, Mr. Jason. In my opinion, this family should have gathered in ONE safe room with a live 911 call in hand. With all of them together, any silhouette in the doorway of the safe room would be a potential target.
One last note, giving your wife your old gun so you can buy a new one is not funny. She needs a weapon that she chooses and, therefore, she is comfortable with. That might be a Glock 19 but it should be her own.
Couple things – first, I assume Ms McKinley was the young widowed mother in Oklahoma from a few years ago – if so, she was on the phone with 911 for almost 25 minutes before the intruder broke her door in, and she shot him. It took LE another 12-15 minutes to arrive AFTER the shooting! And this was in a suburb of OKC, not in a remote rural area!
Second, the husband and wife in the situation described may have had a plan for total home defense, and was working it, while one (or both) were on the phone with 911. The scenerio may not have been as “ludicrous” as you might think. Hiding in just one room gives the perp a large advantage over preventing said perp from entering the residence at all.
First, in hindsight, the word “ludicrous” was too strong. There were just a lot of “maybes” as you say. Maybe somebody was on the call from the start.
As for the long time that you describe that it took LE to arrive at Sarah McKinley’s home, That just reinforces the need to get on the phone as soon as you can.
With respect to the hunkering down in one room versus moving about in search, well I can see argument both ways. Children and line of fire are two things that come to mind My kids seeing me blow somebody away might be another thing to consider.
One last thing, these people lived in California. There is a HUGE difference in how the courts will react for a homeowner in that state versus the great state of Texas. That 911 call before a shooting could be the difference in the home owners favor.
Thanks for taking the time to respond!
I hope we’ve all learned a bit from these discussions. Every situation is different. WhereI live, its about an hour for 911 to arrive. My angel and I both know how to handle a firearm. She grew up in a Remington employee family, me just a hobbyist. The important issue here is, if 2 people in the home are armed, a plan should be worked out which includes kids, pets, and each other. Whether in a front/back or upstairs/downstairs solution, the primary objective is to stop the BG, and not hurt anyone else in the home. Practice, practice and more practice for almost any situation.
Just my $.02..
Jesus.
You sure do complain a lot.
I’ve noticed an uptick in whiny men over the past decade. Wonder why that is?
Jason was a CIA Officer.
What do you do/have you done?
Let me guess….probably live in an uptight state like NY…but hey, you’re a free man…you’re a badass, right? You wear Carhartt and ride a motorcycle. Probably a Harley, because even though they’re overpriced, it’s a status-symbol, right?
Your wife (assuming that you have one) probably doesn’t shoot…if she does, it’s more-than-likely a revolver because she’s scared of big fire-power. Just like you’re scared of life.
Stop with your bullshit for like two seconds.
Signed,
A Guy Who Knows More Than You
Boy, you sure beat me up but I guess that I had it coming. I intended to sound more like constructive criticism but it did come across pretty negative. I can’t argue that.
As for Jason, being an ex-CIA is a nice credential but it doesn’t make him always and completely right. I didn’t intend to attack him, personally. From reading a lot of his writing, I expect that he’s open to feedback.
As for me, I can’t leap tall buildings in a single bound. I’m not faster than a speeding bullet. I’m not more powerful than a locomotive. I’m just an ordinary guy who is retired and does a lot of reading, research and writing.
I live in Florida but I don’t consider myself a badass at all. I doubt that anybody who knows me would think that either.
You got me on the Harley and Carhartts though. I’m not sure why that would matter. I don’t care if someone else drives an F350 or Kia Soull. Whatever fits their butt and they can afford is what should be important. I can’t rationally justify the Harley but it’s something that I truly enjoy so….what’s wrong with that? And, the Carhartts are comfortable and functional for me. I don’t wear the rough and tumble Carhartt tan ranch and farm clothing.
I was okay with you bashing back at me for annoying you. I can take it as well as I can send it out. But, you know, that wasn’t nice of you at all to speak so negatively of my wife.
You’re right, though, she is afraid of the big guns. She can’t even rack the slide on semi-auto. Her shooting isn’t the best either. She can only put 90% of her shots into an 8″ target at fifteen yards. The other 10% do break paper though. She does that with a five-shot .38 that has a 2″ barrel. I tried to upgrade her to a .357 with a longer barrel but she doesn’t like the BOOM of it.
She doesn’t like Harleys either. They’re too top heavy for her so we saved some money and bought her a Yamaha instead of a high dollar Harley. It fits her butt like her .38 fits her hand. She goes down the highway right alongside of me.
In all sincerity, I appreciate that you got me to stop the bullshit for two seconds. It was a worthwhile exchange. I am, however, looking forward to, at least, one more reply from you so I’ll know what you’re really made of. We might be more alike that either of can readily see.
Respectfully,
A Guy Who Is Always Learning
You are so funny. I take it you are a clone of God himself. You probably notice more whiny men because like buying a car, when you get one you notice more of them on the road. I’ retired AF, ride a Full Dress Harley because I want to, wear Dickies when I go to my Construction job as a Stainless Steel Craftsman, I’m single.
FYI, revolvers can also be considered “big fire power” just like Semi-automatics can be considered lackluster as a .22, .25, .380
My guess is, you shoot a Glock because “everybody else does”. Key rules for purchasing a firearm for self defense include but are not restricted to comfort, fit, how are you going to carry it, and more. A woman that is 5′ tall and 90 lbs would not want to carry a full size .45 ACP in her purse, or on her hip. Doesn’t man she can’t handle one, it’s just not a good handgun for her to carry.
One of MANY people that are laughing at you.
The “hand me down” gun was a joke and I took it as such.
I thought the hand me down might be a spoof.. but the state principle above IS right.. SHE needs to find the gun that fits and suits HER preferences. What I like might/mightn’t be what she should have. Better idea: get your own new one, keep the old replaced one as a backup, what if yours is lost/stolen/confiscated after use, and get HER the right new one…… then a second one for her as well.
As to the mandate they both gather/hunker down in one pre-determined room, mayb,e maybe not. Noise at front door, goes away, will he come back in that way, or do as he did, go try the back door? Tries back door, gets in, husband at front door in case he comes back in that way… now he’s IN the house and can go where he wills… no, they did well, splitting up. Since the perp had just broken in the back door, the husband obviously would NOT be in danger, as he would have used the key, or knocked. Now, wife guarding broken back door, he tries window, husband goes there knowing wife is at broken back door… again, no danger. SHE would not enter through the window, being able to use the back door now its broken down. Both in the house, neither breaking in.. vioce communication IS possible inside the home, as well, to pass information and notices. They did right. Perp caught, neither harmed.
I tried that “hand me down” with my wife and she told me not a chance. I want my own carry piece and my own shotgun. And that’s what she got.
Except for last Christmas when she got her own AR15!
Take her to the range .. let her learn what she likes what works best in her hands . then pick out her gun easy and fun more range time . #2 are you kidding me No gun for you honey your the 911 caller. why not pick who hides what closet .
Wow! I agitated just about everybody, it seems. Sorry, that wasn’t my intention at all.
My wife does shoot and shoots well. She chose her handgun. Range time is our second most favorite pastime together.
As for the 911 call, for everyone that has two hands, a gun fits one and phone fits the other. The need to use the gun is the priority, though. Don’t hesitate to drop the phone for two hands on your gun.
Thanks much for the reply!
Like you my wife is a luck wife also. I gave her my old well tested gun (which by the way she loves and has shot often) I do agree having both of us armed is defiantly an advantage. (sungloblu lighten up a little)
My wife and I are both Armed Citizens. We carry at all times and train together. She truely is my back-up when we am out and about together.
At home we have mutually agreed “zones” to cover. Friendly fire is not an option so discussing scenarios and range fire together is a must.
where are the citations for this.. I’d like to read the whole story
My wife and I carry similar handguns for the simple reason She is comfortable with them , and no confusion if either of us picks up the others gun. We both carry at all times, and travel in a mmini pack (=2) LOL. Merry Christmas, and be safe in your travels.
My wife is a Tom boy and loves guns esp skeet shooting and target practice as much as we can. We both carry her a springfield arms XD40 subcompact and I carry glock model 30 -45, and we both train with each other’s gun she is very very good with my glock and will double tap quickly .
If I’m dressed I’m armed. When going out shopping my wife is also armed. She carries her Sig P239 and I carry a Sig 1911. She finds her Sig fits her hands better and my 1911 is too heavy. We have two extra magazines in the sun glass compartment in both or our cars. We practice “what ifs” around our home. We use our garage to practice “what ifs” in our cars, depending which one is driving. Most importantly, we have a home “what if” plan, we practice at the range and our safe room is ready. Be armed be safe Merry Christmas!
Great article. My husband and I each have our guns in a rapid access safe on respective sides of the bed. An important suggestion that I think should be considered in this situation: we decided to set the combinations exactly the same in case there was an accessibility issue. His side is closest to the master bath. This way, if I’m home alone, and in the master bath, I don’t have to run around the bed to my side to grab my gun and risk being seen thru the door by the intruder. I can just grab his. We both train with each others guns so that I feel comfortable shooting his gun and he mine. And yes, women need to pick out their own gun. I happen to have 3 – revolver, handgun and rifle. And there is no shame in having a revolver – I’ve never had it jam or misfire in any way – unlike my handgun. If I was in a self defense situation, I’d pull out the revolver over the handgun for that reason. I also keep a couple of speed loaders in the safe in case I need extra ammo. You can still pack plenty of fire power in a revolver and i don’t think an intruder is going to care what caliber of bullet you’re using when they’re being fired at!
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There are some very good tips shared below. Things mentioned that I as a country wife never would have thought of. We rarely see folks out this way but if we did have an intruder…. we would not have been so well rehearsed as many of you are. Thanks for sharing different scenarios and tips. Hubby and I will be doing some “fire drills” so to speak. Thanks
trying to get my wife to do this.