We often point out that the vast majority of defensive gun uses (DGU’s) end without shots fired. The armed defender shows the bad guys his or her gun, the perps fear perforation, and exit, stage right. fox5atlanta.com has an example . . .

A quick-thinking teenager stopped a burglary at his Coweta County home. He came downstairs with a realistic looking pellet gun and took aim. The two hooded men threw up their hands and ran out the front door.

Bayne Sample, 16, admitted it was a bit improvised, but said he didn’t have a choice. Good thing the Airsoft rifle looked the part. Bayne said it is a replica of a real assault rifle.

Bayne was home alone with his little brother. Their dad told FOX 5 News he was proud of himself and credits Bayne’s ROTC training at East Coweta High School for giving him both the courage and calmness.

Oh look! An AR-15 involved in a DGU! Didn’t what’s-his-name, the British guy that Jeremy Clarkson punched in the nose, say that never happens? OK, it wasn’t really an AR. In the video above, the reporter jokes about young Master Bayne’s BB ballistic bluff. “What choice did you have?” Sample affirms the idea and adds, ” besides all the guns were downstairs.”

The TV report takes pains to point out that the Samples will have something a little more powerful than an Airsoft gun to hand should the burglars return. Then again, after this, the bad guys might come back anyway, taking that into account. Guns are easy to fence and some bad guys love them some revenge.

Which is why anyone who performs a successful DGU might want to STFU when the news guys show up. What’s good for the cause – televising law-abiding Americans successfully exercising their right to keep and bear arms (including Airsoft guns) – might not be good for everyone. Just sayin’ . . .

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22 COMMENTS

  1. Look at that. Toy/Replica Guns save lives! If it had a giant orange blob on the end of the gun, it would likely have had a different ending.

    If it saves one life… we should do it.

  2. Bad guys talk a lot of shit about getting payback. In that regard they ain’t much different from keyboard commandoes.

    • getting payback usually requires hard work, planning and perseverance. 4 out of 5 Bad Guys really lack those qualities, the other ones are nut jobs.

  3. He is lucky they did not shoot back. Glad it worked out, but it could have been another story if they were packing.

  4. The bad guys don’t have a lot of incentive to stick around, even if they are just getting pelted with plastic BBs. Heck, the anti’s are always extolling the virtues of non-lethal devices to stop criminals – it actually worked in this case. Maybe John Lott needs to do a study on the number of crimes thwarted by the display of toy guns?

  5. Hopefully his parents will wise up and get a real gun or two for defense against potential future home invasions. Even a 10/22 wth a 25 round magazine of Velocitors would be much more effective.

    • Oops! After watching the video, I realize the family has some real guns. Maybe a gun or two in a pistol safe upstairs might be in order.

      • Correct me if I’m wrong but I think it’s illegal to let a minor have possession of a handgun so the “pistol in the safe upstairs” idea could land him in some legal trouble a better suggestion would be a shotgun or AR. Again correct me if I’m wrong.

        • Probably depends on the state. This happening in GA, not CA or NJ, he’d probably be ok. I also don’t know the setup of their house. If the parents bedroom was upstairs, I’d think a pistol safe there would be ok (with the kid knowing the combo for emergencies). I’m not saying the kid should have his own pistol safe in his room.

          Also, the long gun is likely a better bet anyway. It’s just that it would require another gun safe, or some other method of storage.

    • The morning this story aired on my local news, I started to pen a story for TTAG entitled: Guns For Beginners: Do Not Talk To The Press After a DGU.
      The 16 year old admitted that his gun was an airsoft gun. He admitted that his dad keeps handguns in his room. And the mother is pretty hot.
      Attention burglars and rapists! Here is a home with no alarm system, and if the dad is out of town again, no armed defense! Come and get it boys!
      http://bcove.me/2mahqevh

  6. Agree with SFTU!! For krineoutloud, is everyone so obsessed with getting face-time on TV that all common sense gets thrown out the window? When they come knocking the answer is: “Yes, as a result of a crime in progress at our house, my son appropriately displayed a firearm and was prepared to use it in his defense should it have become necessary. No, you can’t talk to him. Now, thank you and please leave.”

  7. The kid is lucky the burglars bluffed easily. In my city, a homeowner was forced to shoot a burglar who kicked in the front door and charged at the homeowner when he discovered the the house was occupied. The county attorney ruled the shooting justifiable self defense. (One of the deceased burglar’s friends complained that it was all the homeowner’s fault because he failed to answer the doorbell promptly.)

  9. Some of the better airsoft rifles can penetrate the skin and embed those little plastic BBs deeply into the skin. That’s not to say I would want to use one in a DGU, but an airsoft rifle in full auto could probably send a lot of criminals running in pain at close range.

    I’ve been thinking about getting one in both AR and AK flavors to plink paper targets from the back deck without making any noise or spending a lot of money.

  10. Since they’re apparently still at large, how about a quick description of the perps? You know, approximate age, race, etc.

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