Guns Save Lives: Defenders With Disabilities Edition
Self-defense is a human right, and you don’t lose it if you are, or become, disabled.
Ask any law-enforcement officer about the quality of criminals these days, and they’ll tell you: The vast majority of them aren’t exactly evil geniuses, a la Professor Moriarty, nor are they particularly brave. In general, two-legged predators are very much like the four-legged variety; they’re hoping for the easiest possible pickings and will generally avoid potential targets who look like they might give the criminal a hard time. Unfortunately, that means that muggers, home invaders, rapists and other assorted evildoers really seem to enjoy selecting people with disabilities as victims. In fact, the latest available statistics show that people with disabilities endure serious violent crimes at a rate three times higher than that of the general populace. That’s why I’m taking such particular pleasure today in bringing you the tales of two people with disabilities who evened the odds in the most effective way…a gun.
1. Famous Last Words, Anyone?
This one is so perfect that, had I not seen it in a reputable news outlet, I would have suspected it was a creative-writing exercise. It starts with an elderly man who needs to use a wheelchair. He was awakened one recent morning at “nothing good happens at this time o’clock” by the sounds of a home invader. The homeowner demanded the intruder leave, but instead, the intruder started fixing himself a snack. (And didn’t even have the common decency to make one for the homeowner…RUDE.) The homeowner got his hands on an old .22 rifle he kept around, but that didn’t faze Mr. 3 AM Snack Man. Undeterred, the intruder let slip the following sentence:
Now give me that gun before you hurt yourself, old man.
I know what my response would have been to that statement, and I can make a fair guess at what yours would have been, too. Seems that the burglar was rather shocked to discover that, rather than a nice free plate of Spaghetti-Os, he wound up with a new orifice where none had been before. The burglar survived his wound and has been arrested and charged.
2. But NoBodY NEeds aN AR-15!!!
One of my favorite anti-gun tropes is the “nobody needs” phrase; these days, they’re largely using it in reference to modern sporting arms. (They’ve also used it for guns that had calibers larger than they like, guns that are small and concealable, guns that are inexpensive, and so on.) In a dazzling illustration of the saying “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing,” anti-gunners have picked up on the fact that rifles are often considered less-than-ideal for home defense due to overpenetration concerns. They then extrapolate that into thinking that rifles–especially scary-looking black ones–are useless for home defense. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, due to their adjustability and customization options, AR-15s can be excellent choices for people with disabilities (and the rest of us, too).
Here’s an example of just that. A disabled homeowner fought off not one, not two, but four home invaders using his AR-15–and he did it after he himself had been shot in the abdomen by one of the criminals. It’s relatively rare for a self-defense incident to involve more than one attacker, but it does happen, and having the ability to fire more than five shots probably saved the nameless disabled homeowner’s life.
Both of these stories highlight just how important armed self-defense is for those of us who either are, or appear to be, vulnerable. The predators out there don’t play fair, and you shouldn’t either. If you’d like help getting started, here’s a good place!
I am 62 years old and disabled. I am not, however, a full time wheelchair user. My right leg is a prosthetic, and the front half of my left foot has also been amputated. So, no toes, no balance, and I have to rely heavily on a cane to maintain what little balance I have. I also am a retired law enforcement officer.
More that once, when out in public, I have noticed scumbags giving me the hairy eyeball and trying to decide if I might be an easy mark. As George K said situational awareness is the key. Add in a firearm that you are capable of operating, fits your hand properly (something that a lot of people tend to ignore), you practice with, and can reliably hit your target with and you are as safe as anyone in today’s crazy world.
I would love to see professional firearms instructors develop and teach classes specifically designed for people with disabilities. Many of us that are disabled would love to have the chance to provide input into such a class.
Agreed.
Just being older is enough to get targeted.I don’t have much worth stealing , but I do have plenty of bullets I will let any thief have !!!
I had an attempted home invasion just before the Thanksgiving 2018 holiday. After they had banged on my front door hard enough to move it slightly out of the jamb at the top and rang my door bell as fast as they could I picked up a Ruger GP-100 in .357 Magnum and tactically blocked the door with my power chair and challenged them with what they wanted. The fact alone that I challenged them seemed to rattle them quite a bit and one of them blurted out to the other that “someone’s home!” told me what I needed to know. The other perp said that they had the wrong address and I told them that they sure did and they needed to leave right away before I called the police. It seemed that since they could not see my hand with the Ruger in my hand behind the door made them even more nervous and they left rather quickly. It still comes down to the fact that a good guy with a gun against bad guys without a gun holds all of the trump cards!
I am a retired Law Enforcement officer in my 70’s. Both my wife and I are in wheelchairs, and we are well aware of the perceived vulnerability of disabled persons. Both of us carry concealed. I carry a 9mm and my wife carries a 38Spl revolver (due to hand weakness she cannot operate the slide of a semi auto) We carry these in pouches designed as concealment holsters. When out and about we are very aware of the people around us and are careful about the areas we visit and try to avoid “marginal places”. We are both excellent shots and practice on a regular basis. All that being said, The best defense is “situational awareness” to minimize the likeliness of being confronted. (side note: a power wheelchair can be a very dangerous defensive weapon to anyone who gets too close to one)
We live in the country and we have a variety of protective measures in the home, starting with several large dogs, and outside cameras. In the home we have a variety of defensive weapons including a 40 cal sub-rifle, AK-47’s, shotguns (Semi auto, pump,& double barrel) not to mention handguns.
My message to others in our situation is: Don’t allow yourself to become a victim and don’t live in fear. Be aware of your surroundings, display confidence, not fear. Be prepared to protect yourself, for the elderly and disabled are indeed persevered as soft targets, DON’T BE ONE!
I’m confined to a powerchair. What kind of pouches do you mean and where did you get them? I’m thinking about getting a shoulder holster or some kind of chest or abdominal rig but I’m overly large and am concerned about finding an appropriate size.