Recent research has shown that most Americans own firearms for self-defense reasons. A recent armed citizen episode in California is living proof of how owning a gun and knowing how to use it when the chips are down saved the life of one Golden State grandfather—and his grandchildren.
According to a report at kcra.com, the 70-year-old man and two grandchildren, ages 14 and 4, were at his business in Rancho Cordova, California, when an early-morning break-in on November 24 changed his life forever.
The man, who manages the business, stays in the building. That night, his grandchildren were asleep in the back with him. At about 1 a.m., his older grandchild shook him awake, telling him someone was trying to break in.
“All of a sudden, the guy kicked the door,” the man said. “Boom and boom! It was that quick.”
As the man rushed into the building, the grandfather knew he had only two choices—to become a victim or defend himself and his family.
“We’d have been dead if he would have got my gun when I pulled it out because he continued to go towards me, he wasn’t afraid of me,” the man said.
In the aftermath, the man said he didn’t want to shoot the intruder, but that was the only choice left to him since he had to protect himself and his grandchildren from harm.
“Am I upset about him?” the man said. “Yes. I didn’t want him to break in, but I’m very happy that my babies are alive.”
While the break-in and shooting remain under investigation, a sergeant with the Rancho Cordova Police Department said break-ins are common, and local citizens are getting tired of being victims.
“Residents are fed up,” said Sgt. Amar Gandhi. “Residents don’t want to be a victim. Business owners don’t want to be victims anymore, and they’re taking their matters into their own hands.
“This isn’t something that we’re encouraging vigilantism by any stretch, but at the same time, you have to applaud him. He demonstrated restraint. He did what he had to do to protect the people inside and including himself,” Ghandi said.
Officers arriving at the scene found the unidentified intruder, said to be in his 30s, dead of gunshot wounds inside the building. The investigation into the shooting continues, but investigators said they do not believe the grandfather will be arrested or face any charges in the matter.
Just give them your possessions it’s the smart thing to do.
Nothing I own is worth killing someone over.
No one can be certain the intruder would have harmed anyone.
In fact once he had the possessions that he was after he would have departed the business.
Now a man is dead because the electric toaster was more valuable then a life. Lives cannot be replaced, electric toasters can.
Have pity because
whenever a gun is involved there is always violence.
Guns make people violent.
Hmm. Guns = violence?
I unholstered once when a man told me he was going to seriously harm me, and aggressively moved toward me to begin acting out his intentions. He saw my weapon, stopped, and left the scene. Gun presented and involved, but no violence.
Curious, that, no??
Words are violence, so brandishing a weapon is violence on steroids. If I had been that guy you encountered, I would have gone somewhere nearby, in order to safe from your gun, and then reported to 911 that you threatened me with a firearm. The first to report gets the benefit, and I just might see you cuffed, and driven to free accommodations at the local lock-up. And there, you would learn the real meaning of “violence”.
Guns cause gun crime.
In Texas, it’s legal to display your firearm in a manner that is intended to protect yourself or others from an unlawful attack. However, it must be reasonable under the circumstances.
“…reasonable under the circumstances.”
A condition decided by a jury of people who couldn’t avoid jury duty; not a jury of your peers.
To match your irony with an utter lack of it on my part, good. On all points.
“Nothing I own is worth killing someone over.”
Spoken like a true comfortable slave. The government will kill you. If you steal or vandalize government property.
Ignore that. It just went over my head. 😵
He is either really good or terrible 😋
Maybe even possum-esque…
Agree. Guns attract guns. Proof? With all the other buildings available to break into, the dead victim chose a location where the occupants had a gun available inside. The victim’s gun did not select a place where there were no guns. Direct proof that if a person possesses a gun, other guns will find it, and act accordingly.
The business owner shudda called 911, and asked for immediate dispatch of a social worker skilled in de-escalation measures. How much more proof do people need to understand that without guns, there can be no gun crime?
“No one can be certain the intruder would have harmed anyone.”
How can Anyone be certain the intruder would NOT ham anyone?
“In fact once he had the possessions that he was after he would have departed the business.”
A fictitious fact or at best an ill founded assumption. No guarantee the intruder would leave afterwards.
“Now a man is dead because the electric toaster was more valuable then a life”
A man is dead because be made poor decisions and the grandfather valued his life and the lives of his grandchildren and took action to protect their lives.
“Have pity because
whenever a gun is involved there is always violence.
Guns make people violent.”
The intruder didn’t show pity and was committing a crime of breaking and entering and in so doing encountered a man trying to protect himself and his grandchildren. The gun did not make the grandfather suddenly become violent because he was a gun owner. There is NOT always violence when a gun is present. Guns cannot get involved no more than a gun can make a person violent.
The intruder made a bad mistake and paid the ultimate price and the deed is on his head.
I think you missed the sarcasm/
Mark N.
Yes the post by Ddduly surprised me in that the comments seemed contrary to his normal comments. My apologies.
Was the intruder intoxicated on legal marijuana??? Or some other substance?
Probably legal alcohol.
More like meth.
But the deceased thought risking their life was worth whatever small reward they may have gained.
The thug chose poorly.
he was unarmed per the last two sentences of the article that TTAG cut out. still a justified shooting but a different scenario than and armed intruder.
Since they l e.g-al ize-d stealing in california all the crime was supposed to go away.
That’s the l3ftist way. Either redefine what is crime or pretend crimes against certain “class enemies” never happened.
This past election we un-legalized it. Prop 36.
The other favorite saying of gun grabbers is, “Insurance will pay for anything that was stolen.”
But insurance never makes you completely whole. Most times, insurance companies will just outright deny a claim.
That’s because it’s common knowledge among insurance companies that many (maybe even most) homeowners won’t fight the first denial. I think some insurance companies make it a habit to just do a first denial on any and all new claims. And then the second denial happens, and the third denial. It only stops when the insured gets his attorney involved and we start having court dates.
l3ftists fail to understand insurance is not a blanket coverage. It is an assessment of risk. A store that is repeatedly robbed becomes a much higher risk and this is reflected in either higher premiums, which are passed on to customers in higher prices, or the insurer refusing to cover.
Because some form of insurance, especially public liability, is required for the store to operate, without insurance the store either relocates or closes.
good shoot ..also Gandhi approves
Even the real Gandhi approves:
Self-defence by Violence
I have been repeating over and over again that he who cannot protect himself or his nearest and dearest or their honour by non-violently facing death may and ought to do so by violently dealing with the oppressor. He who can do neither of the two is a burden. He has no business to be the head of a family. He must either hide himself, or must rest content to live for ever in helplessness and be prepared to crawl like a worm at the bidding of a bully.
I am a CA grandfather. Threaten one of my grandkids. Go ahead.
I am a 70 year old grandfather. Unlikely my granddaughters in Maryland would need my protection but I would fight to the death to protect my family! Good on grandpa🙂
Don’t mess with old guys. We’ve raised our children and have seen interesting things. A lot of us are not afraid of what you can do to us. We’re afraid of what you may do to someone else. One interesting thing I’ve learned is that your adversaries rely on your fear of them. Same as bullies on the playground. A bloody nose usually solved the problem of the bully. For those that escaped that lesson, I recommend a sucking chest wound.
Details! I want details! What type of firearm did the defender use? What caliber? How many total shots fired? How many hits?
“Details! I want details! What type of firearm did the defender use? What caliber? How many total shots fired? How many hits?”
Details that matter:
1. The firearm type was the kind that went ‘Bang!’ to save the lives of the kids and grandpa from harm.
2. The caliber was the one that worked to stop the threat and save the lives of the kids and grandpa from harm.
3. The number of shots fired was the number needed to stop the threat and save the lives of the kids and grandpa from harm.
4. The number of hits were the number that stopped the threat to save the lives of the kids and grandpa from harm.
😊
.40 cal Booger,
There there, sir, was funny! I laughed out loud for at least 10 seconds. Thank you for the morning laugh and starting my day out on the right foot.
Speaking of starting my day, I have to get back to house cleaning so that I can get out early this afternoon for white-tailed deer hunting. (Yesterday I had 12 female deer–does–in front of my hunting spot. I passed on them hoping for a buck. Today, I am going to harvest a large doe if one comes into range.)
you present a present violent threat to anyone in my family…its not a matter of how I will react, its simply a matter of you failing to realize you were already dead when you first started.
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