Another Mistaken Identity Shooting and Killing
Odds are that the ‘bump in the night,’ has no more than a 3% possibility of being an intruder. The other 97+% is either a family member, friend, or some harmless dumbass.
I calculated this based on information in the National Crime Victims Survey overlaid on several other authoritative sources. The analysis is slightly fuzzy but I stand by the general numbers.
CSU professor accidentally shot by roommate who mistook her for intruder
[Muscogee County Coroner] Bryan said [Professor] Anderson’s roommate had been receiving terrorist threats from her son, including threats of bodily harm and to burn down the house. When the roommate heard a noise while sleeping, she grabbed her pistol and walked into the hallway.
‘She fired one shot and then fired another one and hit her roommate,’ Bryan said.
Calling out “WHO’S THERE” would save many a life. The concept that using a flashlight and/or issuing a verbal challenge will ‘draw the intruder’s fire’ is foolish and unsupportable.
Flashlight skills at home are important enough that I made the flashlight chapter of Indoor Range Practice Sessions a free download on my ebook store.
https://store.payloadz.com/go/?id=2505573
Note also that she was killed by one hit; this is not uncommon when a shooting victim is not highly adrenalized. Modern bullets are very lethal.
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Testing A New Gun
#wheelgunwednesday
As I work on the updated Second Edition of Serious Mistakes Gunowners Make, a chapter I’m adding is ‘Not Testing Your Gun.’ Several industry surveys indicate that the average gun purchaser fires less than a box of ammunition through it, perhaps only a cylinder or magazine. However, this is an average and many people never fire their guns at all. Legacy guns, i.e., inheritances and passed down guns, are probably even worse. Not knowing if your gun works or if you can make it work is a Serious Mistake.
One client of mine thought her gun, a S&W revolver, was broken because she couldn’t pull the trigger. When I examined it, there was nothing wrong with it. She just didn’t have the hand strength to pull the trigger. This was fortunate because she found out when she tried to do some shooting that would have been unlawful. Not knowing the laws about shooting is another Serious Mistake but that’s for another post.
Two other clients had revolvers, one cheap and one a nice S&W snub, that wouldn’t fire when they came to the range with me. This was a bit of a shock to them. They shot my revolver adequately but both had to get their revolvers repaired before they were serviceable. Yet another client had a nice S&W Model 36 but had never gotten around in four years to purchasing any ammunition for it. After an attempted burglary, her boyfriend called me to ask if I ‘had any spare bullets.’
Yesterday, I was able to acquire in a trade a nice S&W Model 10-7 snub. The first thing I did was to head to my gun club to test it. Not only for functionality but also to find where various loads hit because it is a fixed sighted gun. Different bullet weights and velocities can result in a gun hitting at very different points of impact. If the only thing someone is concerned with is hitting a full size Q target at four yards, e.g., the New York State Concealed Carry License Live Fire Proficiency Assessment, https://troopers.ny.gov/minimum-standards-new-york-state-concealed-carry-firearm-safety-training it’s not a big deal. If the target is obscured behind a car 17 yards away and is shooting at you https://www.patreon.com/posts/armed-citizen-132185205, where the bullets hit becomes more important.
There were three loads that I tested; 158 grain Fiocchi FMJ, 130 grain Remington UMC FMJ, and the last of my 148 grain lead Winchester SuperMatch wadcutters. The test protocol was my Old West Shootist’s Challenge. https://thetacticalprofessor.net/2025/02/05/shootists-challenge-the-final-word/ To it, I’ve added a second string inspired by Marty Robbins’ song Big Iron. “There was 40 feet between them when they stopped to make their play.”
The Shootist’s Challenge now consist of two strings, one at 25 feet and the other at 40 feet.
1) Six shots, 10 paces (25 feet/8 yards), Primary Hand Only, Untimed.
2) Six shots, 40 feet/13 yards, Two Hands, Untimed.
All shots must hit in the large (5 inch) square, one must hit the center (1 inch) stamp.
The Remington 130 FMJ seemed to give the best results.
As I texted to my colleague Chuck Haggard https://agiletactical.com/, “I care a lot less about Magic Bullets than I do about hitting right.”
An interesting thing occurred while shooting the Winchester SuperMatch. One of the rounds had a high primer and simply would not come under the recoil shield. This is why czeching ammo that’s intended for serious social purposes is so important. SuperMatch was considered to be a very high quality ammo in its day but here was a round that couldn’t be made to fire.
The next test was the Washington State Basic Covert Carry/Off-Duty Proficiency Course.
This is a good course for carry revolvers and is 5 shot friendly. The times aren’t particularly demanding but they’re not a total piece of cake either. A good aspect is that it requires shooting with Primary Hand Only and Support Hand Only. I’ve had a client who couldn’t pull the trigger of her revolver with her Support Hand. That’s a problem.
Finally, I shot the IDPA 5X5 Classifier.
The light was changing and as can happen, it affected where my rounds impacted. This is because it changes the sight picture.
It’s probably not necessary to test fire a gun to this extent but at least knowing it will fire is a worthwhile exercise. It’s also important to know what the recoil is like. An incident occurred in Florida years ago in which a woman had a revolver she had never fired. When she fired it, it flew out of her hand. Things didn’t go that well for her after that. I’ve had a similar experience when a friend’s wife wanted to shoot my Charter Arms .44 Bulldog. It flew out of her hands and knocked her back. If I hadn’t caught her, she would have fallen flat on her back.
As the late Paul Gomez was fond of saying, “Shoot Yor Guns!”
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Man Shot by Deputy after Calling 911
#NegativeOutcome
After a Defensive Gun Use, don’t have your gun in hand when the POlice arrive.
[After the man called 911 saying he had killed someone,] The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the man’s home in the 4300 block of Central Avenue in Camarillo around 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 31. The 79-year-old man was allegedly armed with a gun and the dispatcher, who was still on the line, had asked the elderly man to step out of the house.
The man was allegedly still armed and behaved in a ‘threatening matter,’ prompting one of the deputies to shoot him, according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.
Most likely after a Defensive Gun Use, a person is going to be very excited. Plan ahead of time to put your gun down before exposing yourself to the POlice. In my first class with John Farnam, he advised us to say “You might want to look over there” and point to your gun that’s in a recognizable place. Probably best for it to be unloaded to preclude the possibility of an Unintentional Discharge.
This type of incident falls into the Negative Outcome category of Undesirable Police Involvement. https://store.payloadz.com/go/?id=2617872
I had a different idea for #fridayfundamentals today but not getting shot is definitely fundamental.
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Trigger Press Casualty
A post is circulating on Facebook about a fellow whose hand became a casualty when the chambered round in his Glock 44 (.22 Long Rifle caliber) failed to eject. He then pressed the trigger and a loud noise occurred instead of the ‘click’ he expected. Unfortunately for him, his hand was over the muzzle and the bullet injured his hand.
Many, in fact most, of the comments involve some version of Rule 2 “Never let your muzzle cover anything you’re not prepared to destroy.” This is true. While that statement tells you what NOT to do, it doesn’t cover what the correct thing you SHOULD do is.
The correct thing to do is always establish a proper grip and deliberately take a sight picture whenever you press the trigger. It doesn’t matter when, do it at all times. When clearing your pistol at the range, take a sight picture on some particular target and observe what the sights do when you press the trigger. When you have to press the trigger to disassemble the pistol, aim at something that will involve the least amount of “damage to property and/or injury to personnel.” Aim at a door frame or something else solid that is more likely to stop a bullet than an interior wall made of Sheetrock.
“Avoid damage to property and/or injury to personnel”, was repeated to us daily during the Weapons phase of the Special Forces Qualification Course. We spent all day handling and working on small arms so the instructors drummed it into our heads regularly. It was my first exposure to the concept of Negative Outcomes and set the concept firmly in my mind.
Establishing grip and taking a sight picture even when you don’t expect the pistol to fire reinforces good marksmanship principles and mitigates safety risks simultaneously. It’s a total WIN WIN.
Negative Outcome – Chasing and Shooting
“Constable Deputies have an adult male suspect in custody following a shooting in the 5400 block of Monteith Drive.
Investigation revealed that the male observed an unknown male breaking into his vehicle and discharged his firearm, causing no injuries.
The unknown male fled the scene and the vehicle owner chased after him for almost a block. Once he caught up to him he discharged his firearm multiple times, striking the male in the torso.”
I find the fact that the shooter was in camo interesting. Purely speculation on my part but if he was waiting in ambush for the car thief it will make the situation even worse.
It’s very galling to have someone steal your property but spending time in prison for reacting to the theft is even worse. Every situation we face has at least two alternatives; sometimes we have to pick the one that’s least worst.
Car Gun – Negative Outcome
Firearms are relentlessly unforgiving of even the slightest moment of carelessness.
4-year-old dies after accidentally shooting self
“Chosen was excited about the family outing and detectives believe he entered the vehicle to wait for the rest of the family, when he found the handgun under the driver’s seat.”
Davenport police news release Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025 (excerpt)
What a beautiful little boy. Gone due to a moment’s carelessness.
Chief: Davenport father forgot to store gun ahead of accidental shooting death of 4-year old
“’Normally he will take the firearm out from underneath the seat and go secure it in his bedroom and he forgot. He just simply forgot,’ said Chief Parker. ”
Your car is not a holster. –Pat Rogers
This is the second incident this year in Polk County of a toddler gaining access to a pistol in a car and shooting himself. https://www.wfla.com/news/polk-county/6-year-old-rushed-to-lakeland-hospital-after-self-inflicted-gunshot-to-head-police/
“Officials remind residents to remain vigilant with firearm safety and to never leave a firearm unattended and unsecured in a vehicle.”
The friend who brought this sad incident to my attention shared some related information.
“On a related note, we baby sat our two grandchildren 1.5 & almost 3 years old boys, and while playing with his cordless drill I was amazed at the interest & ability of the 1-1/2 YO in putting the drill chuck in his mouth and manipulating the trigger to activate the drill. The drill looks a lot like a handgun profile, just no trigger guard….there were several other innocuous toys like that as well. Clear to understand how a small toddler could find a gun and place it on the floor to push the trigger while muzzle directed at their head.”
Don’t let this happen to you, your loved ones, or your friends. Firearms are relentlessly unforgiving of even the slightest moment of carelessness as Chief Parker mentioned. Firearms CANNOT be ‘hidden’ from children; they WILL find them.
We all need to have a way to constantly secure our firearms. Holstering it on your person is the best way. If your gun is too big, too heavy, or has too much tactical crap hanging off of it to keep constantly holstered, then you need to make better decisions about your choice of pistol. A Little Crappy Pistol on your person is better than a .40 S&W with WML in a child’s mouth. And for those times when you can’t holster it, get some kind of safe or lockable container that’s easy to use. Practice using it until it’s as second nature to you as shooting your pistol.
Sorry for being preachy but that little boy’s picture brings tears to my eyes.
Open Carry v. Doofus Carry
A video is circulating on the Interwebz now about an unfortunate situation in which a man’s gun was snatched from him in a gas station. He chased the thief and was subsequently shot with his own gun.
Although I am not a fan of Open Carry, let’s analyze the situation in a little more depth. The proximate cause of the snatch was that he simply stuck his gun in his back pocket unconcealed and then walked into a crowded environment where a bunch of lowlifes were coming and going.
As a result, a ne’er-do-well nonchalantly walked up behind him and simply grabbed the gun out of his pocket.
The carry technique the man was using is more correctly described as “Doofus Carry,” having two parts. There’s no back story to the incident but it wouldn’t be surprising to find that his usual carry technique is in the side door pocket of his car. If so, then when he pulled into the gas station and saw a bunch of lowlifes going in and out, he decided to stick his gun in his pocket when he went in. He probably didn’t stick it in the front of his waistband because he had a striker fired gun and was concerned about ‘shooting his junk off.’
Sticking a gun in a back pocket is not the same thing as having it in a proper holster attached to the belt.
If my hypothesis is correct, it leads more credence to something the late Pat Rogers often said:
“Your car is not a holster.”
To reiterate, I’m not advocating Open Carry. But, if you’re going to carry a gun, at do it right. Have a decent holster and belt. Use it all the time when you leave home. If it’s uncomfortable and you don’t like wearing it, get a better holster or consider getting a more comfortable gun. “Your gun should be comforting not comfortable” is possibly the most ridiculous statement that’s ever been made about firearms.
The one good piece of advice in these retellings is that if your gun does get taken from you, Let it go. https://www.patreon.com/posts/let-it-go-107811846 The thief is now armed and you’re not. Chasing the felon means you’re going unarmed to a potential shooting. That’s a Serious Mistake. Don’t be foolish and assume the thief isn’t familiar and experienced with guns. As this incident shows, that’s the formula for a Negative Outcome.
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Unsecured Gun Discharges – Child Dead, Mother Wounded
Periodic reminder – secure your guns from unauthorized access.
“Tragic accident in Inglis 5-year-old dead, adult woman in critical condition after unsecured gun discharges
One child accessed an unsecured firearm and the gun, a 9mm Glock, accidentally discharged.”
Secured doesn’t have to mean an elaborate setup. A two drawer file cabinet with a locking drawer could have prevented this tragedy. I bought mine at Goodwill for $10. Granted that a file cabinet may not keep them from being stolen but at least your kid won’t shoot you and another kid.
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The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – November 2024
This month we have a Good story of thwarting a gun grab, a Bad story about muzzle direction, and awareness, and an Ugly story about stupidity.
Since November is the month of Veterans’ Day, the musical selection is “La Storia di un Soldalto” (The Story of a Soldier).
https://www.patreon.com/posts/good-bad-and-117021444
THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY – NOVEMBER 2024
The Good
DA: Aurora convenience store guard shot gunman in self defense
The video of this incident is quite dramatic and demonstrates that Open Carry is not a deterrence to assault and theft. The criminal deliberately targeted the guard to get his gun. Fortunately, the guard gave the criminal a bullet instead of the gun in the struggle that followed the grab attempt.
The Bad
A DRAMATIC video shows a referee firing a gun at a competitor at point-blank range and hitting him in the bum [i.e., ass] after allegedly not putting the safety on.
“Muzzle direction is the primary safety; always has been, always will be.” –Bill Rogers
The Ugly
McAlester Football Coach Forrest Mazey was charged Friday for a July incident involving a handgun at a cabin in McCurtain County.
Aiming firearms, loaded or not, at other people to scare them is not funny in the least. It’s stupid and ugly.
Enjoy!
If you like my work, join me on Patreon where I post more in-depth articles about shooting, marksmanship, and incident analysis.
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The GBU isn’t drawn from The Armed Citizen column of the official NRA Journals but the November edition of The Armed Citizen is attached. Rather than an obsessive interest in ‘the worst case scenario,’ it shows what the vast majority of Defensive Gun Uses really look like.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – October 2024
Whoops! I just realized that I had not posted the unlocked version of October’s The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
This month we have a Good story of taking care of oneself, a Bad story about failed parenting, and another Ugly story in which the authorities failed to protect someone they could and should have.
The musical selection for October is Metallica’s cover of The Ecstasy of Gold. Metal covers of songs from Westerns are rare and this is exceptionally good.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/good-bad-and-115130383
THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY – OCTOBER 2024
The Good
A Hubert woman who fatally shot her ex-boyfriend in self-defense earlier this month will not face charges, according to the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office
“the woman fired five shots from a .380 caliber handgun. He was struck by all five shots.”
The Bad
Baby shot and killed by toddler who got hold of loaded gun in parked car
The child who fired the shot was 3 and the victim was 10 months old.
The Ugly
A Minneapolis man has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly shooting his neighbor for pruning a tree he believed was on his property line, court documents show
This is a follow up on last month’s Ugly incident; bear in mind that it doesn’t take much to set some people off. Just as in last month’s incident, the authorities took no action against the shooter before the incident despite him having active warrants.
Enjoy!
If you like my work, join me on Patreon where I post more in-depth articles about shooting, marksmanship, and incident analysis.
https://www.patreon.com/TacticalProfessor
The GBU isn’t drawn from The Armed Citizen column of the official NRA Journals but the October edition of The Armed Citizen is attached. Rather than an obsessive interest in ‘the worst case scenario,’ it shows what the vast majority of Defensive Gun Uses really look like.
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