Octogenarian Beatrice Turner’s .22 Gits ‘Er Done

No, her name isn’t “Annie.” (That would just be toooo perfect, now wouldn’t it?) But when the goin’ got tough, Beatrice Turner got her gun, and got ‘er done. And her story can serve as an object lesson to all those that say you “have to be a great shot” and be someone who keeps those skills up by weekly visits to the gun range, in order to defend yourself. Not. According to Des Moines police reports, Ms. Turner, 89, was alarmed on this Tuesday past, when a man began beating on her front door. She did what most of us would do. She told him that he had the wrong home and to get off her property. The man, later identified as 37-year-old Nelson McAlpine, continued to beat on her wooden door until he succeeded in breaking it down. That’s when what could have been a tragic story turns out a little differently than McAlpine might have anticipated.

Turner grabbed her .22 caliber revolver, pointed at the man and warned him that she would shoot if he came any further.

He came further.

She shot – and missed – but made her point. The assailant was sent “reeling” into the front yard.

Ms. Turner told him, “As long as you stay on the outside, I’m not gonna (shoot),”‘ Turner said. “‘But, if you come on the inside, it’s going to be me or you.'”

When police arrived, they arrested the hapless, would-be home invader, whom they report was “shaken” by feeling the bullet whiz by. He’s being held on $10,000 bond under a charge of 2nd Degree burglary.

A few observations:

• Regardless of what the anti-gun guys say, a gun IS a deterrent to crime.
• A .22 may be derided as a wimpy load, but any gun is better than no gun at all.
• By being willing to defend her home, Ms. Turner limited the damage to her home to a shattered door and door frame.
• By being willing to defend herself, Ms. Turner likely avoided battery, rape or murder.
• It doesn’t take much to stop a lot of criminals. Shooting at them works just fine.
• The cops can’t be everywhere at once. The only thing that stopped the bad guy was the fact that Ms. Turner was armed.

That’s about it. Godspeed, Ms. Turner – you did everything right. You were prepared. You did what you had to do. You warned the assailant, and then you did what you promised to do. While it might have resulted in a more certain outcome if you’d hit him, you survived (which is the main idea) and you won’t have to live with the knowledge that you shot someone—even if he was trying to do you harm. Git ‘er done, Annie. You done good.