A few days ago near Nashville, Tennessee, a particularly dumb criminal managed to catch some hot lead. After trying multiple times to get into the home and hearing the occupants threaten to shoot him should he get through, he kept f-ing around and ended up finding out:

While details aren’t yet available, what we do know is that this was a situation that went on for some time, perhaps for minutes. The residents were smart to not go outside to confront him, instead warning the man of what was coming his way if he found his way inside the home. Despite the warnings, the man ended up finding his way into a kitchen window, and then found out that the homeowner wasn’t bluffing.

The robber received a non-fatal wound to the arm, was hauled off by police and will face charges once doctors get him patched up a bit.

What I want to do real quick in this article is talk about some ways this could have gone far worse and some ways it could have gone far better.

You Can’t Count On Pain To Incapacitate

Again, I don’t know exactly what happened to lead to the robber getting shot in the arm. There could have been a struggle, the lighting could have been poor or the homeowner could have just been too stressed out to deliver a shot closer to center of mass. Fortunately, getting shot in the arm was enough to get this guy to stop trying to rob the house, and if that wasn’t enough, fear of getting shot again probably did the trick.

But, we can’t always count on things working out that way. Ideally, I’d rather have a phaser from Star Trek than a gun. Nobody in their right mind wants to kill people, but everyone in their right mind wants to protect themselves and their families. If there was a way to incapacitate someone without seriously injuring or killing them, I’d be 110% for having that solution on hand. The latest episodes of Star Trek even show phasers that hide in a bracelet when not in use, and can be extended into a rifle as needed, so they’d really be the ultimate concealed carry solution!

Sadly we don’t live in the 22nd-32nd centuries. We’re stuck in the 21st century, and we have to rely on fast-moving pieces of metal to incapacitate. That usually means connecting a shot with the central nervous system or causing rapid blood loss to stop the action. Due to the effects of adrenaline, drugs and sometimes just mental illness, wounds to places like the arms or legs can be ignored for long enough to hurt or kill you.

So, shot placement is key. This particular thief is probably glad that he didn’t get a bullet in a more vital area, but the homeowner took a big personal risk by not delivering a shot that produces more reliable incapacitation.

People Shouldn’t Be Able To Break In

Another big problem with this story is that the guy was able to get into the home in the first place. Nobody wants to live in a prison-like structure with no windows, especially in a beautiful wooded area. But, there are modern solutions to this problem.

The most compelling solution is to add anti-shatter film to your home’s exterior glass. You can get the stuff tinted or transparent, but when someone tries to break in, the window refuses to get out of the way without some serious work.

Other things, like replacing door screws with longer ones, adding secondary door locks and adding taller fencing outdoors can all prevent or delay forced entry. If all of these things fail, having a weapon is still good for your defense. But if you can avoid shooting somebody by taking these other measures, you’re miles ahead.

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49 COMMENTS

  1. “But, we can’t always count on things working out that way. Ideally, I’d rather have a phaser from Star Trek than a gun.”

    Oh, *hell* no!

    At first blush, that sounds really neat, but the reality would be a living nightmare.

    Someone could walk up behind you, stun you, and then rob you or far worse, if you’re female, violate parts of your body you never want violated without your express permission.

    Hope beyond hope the ‘Phaser set on Stun’ never becomes reality… 🙁

    • “Someone could walk up behind you, stun you, and then rob you or far worse, if you’re female, violate parts of your body you never want violated without your express permission.”

      And…. Someone could walk up behind you, shoot you or knife you or beat you, and then rob you or far worse, if you’re female, violate parts of your body you never want violated without your express permission by threatening (or actually) shooting or knifing or beating you.

      Oh heck, what do I mean ‘could’, forgive me – they already “walk up behind you, shoot you or knife you or beat you, and then rob you or far worse, if you’re female, violate parts of your body you never want violated without your express permission by threatening (or actually) shooting or knifing or beating you.” – its an actual thing already.

      • But to be able to do it without permanent injury…

        • ya think they are really worried about not causing permanent injury to their victims?

          Knives and instruments-for-beating will still be a thing in the 22nd or 23rd century.

          • Stop trying to over-think this.

            You can’t dispute that device in evil hands could cost serious misery…

      • “Men can get violated as well. Just ask anyone who has been to prison.”

        Next time Miner49er or dacian are on we can ask them.

        • I believe that they are the type of guys who enjoy being violated.

          Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

        • When they are not violating animals as the “+” part of the spectrum.

    • I thought phasers had 3 settings, stun, kill and hide the body, or was that Stargate?
      On a serious note, those window films can be tinted to increase the R values of older windows too. And landscaping with things pyracantha can also be used to limit access.

      • NO THANKS – the fat@ss fad which came out of the special interest ghetto “community” of recent years is a horribly ugly manifestation of idleness, poo health and unfitness. Now there apparently is plastic surgery to create fake fat@ss! Moronic.

        Your welfare $ in action.

    • Spinal Tap was hilarious. Their amps go to 11 ya know.
      The part that still cracks me up is when it’s showtime and they’re wandering around backstage trying to find the stage.

    • Don’t listen to people that say you can spot reduce fat. It’s all about building muscle and reducing fat. Changing the way a particular area looks comes down to reducing overall fat and building muscle in that particular area.

      It isn’t mysterious. As long as your body is responding to your exercise regimen without killing yourself/injury, then you’re fine. Gradually up the difficulty level, and switch up your exercises because your body will do it’s best to adapt to whatever you’re throwing at it. If you’re not breaking a sweat or sore later, then you’re doing it wrong.

      • To add to the above comment, there’s a saying that goes something like, “abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym.” Diet can transform you.

    • I should watch this. The older–and fatter–I get, the more often I hear my wife telling me I need a bra.

      • When ‘Spinal Tap’ came out in the late 80s, established bands got seriously bent out shape about it.

        Today, it’s considered a classic ‘Mockumentary’…

  3. Happy to see the window film suggestion. No idea what the current versions are like now but what I looked into back in 09 had very low end ballistic resistance as well (think 22 long, 25acp maybe 32 long). I doubt it would get to 9mm but would be interesting to see how the product improved over the years.

    • In my home any perp would be met by 2 armed people. One with a rifle and or shotgun. Even in ILL annoy castle doctrine is a thing🙄 Oh I’m thinking about getting a Savage bolt gat in perhaps 308. They got ’em fairly cheap at my LGS. Anyone have experience with one?

      • My friend’s $99 axis (dunno what version) was shockingly accurate for the price and the barrel change (if you want to switch calibers that use the same bolt and fit the magazine) was the easiest I ever saw for a bolt action. Not pretty and some of the materials and finishes were obvious cost savers but he still uses it even with better options picked up over the years.

    • I have lots of glass doors and tall windows at ground level large enough to walk through. I’d like to know more about this film.

      • I will dig up some old notes and see what still applies on the weekend. But a quick Google search on security film will get most of it I would imagine.

        • Security film, hurricane film is another name for it.

          It won’t actually secure your home, it’s just a deterrent…

          • Delay moreso but takes more time and more noise to get through with more time to pick up weapon and position.

      • We did some testing of it here at our lab for another purpose application other than glass windows, but we also shot it also on glass windows and it performed exactly like the video shows when impacted by bullets.

  4. It is fallacious to conclude that the home owner was either an incompetent shooter or was shooting to wound because the perp was shot in the arm. Confronting an intruder who is literally breaking in through a window is a dynamic situation. All it takes is a sudden rotation or translation by the perp for a perfectly placed shot to the center of mass or the heart to become a peripheral hit to the arm.

    I took would prefer to have a phased from Star Trek. However; I would be motivated not by the ability to set it on stun but to set it on disintegrate. This would eliminate any need to shovel this enabling a simpler tactic of shoot and shut up.

      • Yea super lucky for the guy just to have received one shot in that situation. I think most people would’ve unloaded on him. Or maybe just keep a couple left in the tank just in case

          • Additionally, the more holes you put in a home intruder means more mess to have to clean later particularly if they expire right there.

            There are numerous other good reasons to exercise restraint and not just msg dump.

  5. In my home any perp would be met by 2 armed people. One with a rifle and or shotgun. Even in ILL annoy castle doctrine is a thing🙄 Oh I’m thinking about getting a Savage bolt gat in perhaps 308. They got ’em fairly cheap at my LGS. Anyone have experience with one?

  11. For reference it is fairly easy for criminals to breach virtually all elements of an average home’s exterior.

    Have average locks? A simple rechargeable drill and bit defeats those.
    Have average windows? A cinder block defeats those.
    Have average doors? Two or three hard kicks defeats those.

    A large crowbar defeats many/most windows and doors.
    A battery powered saw can cut a human-sized hole through non-masonry home exteriors in about 60 seconds.
    Of course a vehicle can drive through all exterior walls and create a “door” where none previously existed.

    Now that we have established that criminals can breach virtually all aspects of home exteriors in 60 seconds or less (if they have appropriate assistive devices), on to the most important pearl of wisdom: hope that a criminal breaching your home creates enough sound long enough in advance that you can position yourself for effective home defense with a firearm.

    • I have lots of glass, but the rest is brick and thick stacked (real) stone. Any way in will make a bunch of racket. Where there’s a will, there’s a way, but we don’t have to make it easy for them, especially if they breach.

  13. If TN has adequate self-defense laws, then the homeowner has immunity from civil suit. If TN does not, then all the lessons from this incident won’t be learned until the window for civil action by the perp closes.

  14. Victim: “I have a gun and will shoot you if you try to come in!”

    Bad Guy: “Nah, I’m gonna break in anyway.”

    “Stupid is as stupid does.

    — Forrest Gump”

  16. I live way out in the sticks a half mile off the road, we don’t even shut our back door, just the screen door. They’d have to get past the German shepherd, Boxer Bulldog, Catahoula Bulldog and a brace of 130 pound Dogo Argentinos to get to the door, and by then the three chihuahuas inside would well alert us. Then it’s Mossberg and S&W to mop up whatever the Dogos leave behind. Real sweethearts if you’re in their pack, otherwise not so much.

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