I’m only sharing this as a learning opportunity of what can go wrong:
KNOXVILLE (WATE) – A Knoxville man came home Monday to catch thieves in the act. He immediately reacted by pulling out his gun and firing off shots.
However, it didn’t take long for the burglars to fire back, nearly hitting the homeowner before speeding away on Sevierville Pike.
Around 6:30 p.m. Monday, Phil Reagan says he came home to discover two strangers inside his house. He says they were stealing his guns, and then they used those weapons to try to shoot him.
“I was only able to fire off one round and then they opened up on me, both of them, with pistols from their car,” Reagan said.
Reagan says he didn’t shy away when he returned home to find his back door bashed in and thieves stealing his things.
“Well, I shot at them. I told them to drop the guns and then I shot at their car, but neither one of them were in it yet and then my gun jammed.” he said.
When Reagan’s gun jammed, the thieves took their chance to fire back. Reagan says they fired about a dozen bullets at him. He took cover in his truck, where evidence is apparent.
You can see where the suspects fired back at him, hitting his car at least five times.
“I’m a Vietnam veteran, so I’ve been shot at before. I never lost my cool whatsoever,” he said.
Reagan says the robbers took five of his guns, along with an empty briefcase. “I think they were shooting at me with my guns,” he said.
He says this isn’t the first time he’s been robbed, someone stole guns from his home back in April, too.
“I was broke into while I was in the hospital for 31 days for my leg,” Reagan said.
Reagan says he’s an avid shooter. He thinks he may have been targeted because people know he has guns.
While the robbers may have stolen some of his weapons, he says he’ll get more, and invites the thieves back anytime.
“I want them to come back. I’ll be better prepared for them next time,” Reagan said.
Reagan says he still working to calculate just how much the thieves stole, but he says it’s easily a few thousand dollars. His insurance company also came out Tuesday afternoon to pick up his shot up truck.
Police are still looking for the two men who broke into the home. They’re believed to be between 20 and 30 years old with brown hair. Deputies say they left in a red car.
Source: http://www.wate.com/story/25969235/knoxville-man-says-thieves-broke-into-this-home-used-his-guns-to-try-to-shoot-him
So what went wrong?
1. You need a RELIABLE gun, if your gun jams (maybe because you don’t clean it often) then it’s not reliable
2. If you own more than one gun, why keep them all loaded? Why keep them in places where they can be found? At some point you have to buy a gun safe or at least some cleaver devices to hide your guns Concealment Mantle Clock
3. If you’ve been robbed before, why haven’t you improved your security system? A simple door alarm and/or a fake CCTV camera can deter crime
4. I’m all about gun pride, but maybe the wrong people know you have guns. If you have a Facebook account, never put your real home address. Mentioning the city is fine, but never the street.
5. Inviting the criminals to come back is not the solution. At this point I would consider moving.
6. If you’re a poor marksman, try getting closer to your target, surprise them.
I feel sorry for Phil, he served his country in Vietnam and this happens to him, twice.
I prefer stories like this one:
“A wheelchair-bound Powdersville area homeowner shot and killed an intruder who tried to burglarize his home and was shot in the process, according to the Anderson County Coroner’s Office.”
Source
Maybe the issue here is one of overconfidence, a Vietnam Vet who survived the horrors of war may see himself invincible, perhaps he has too much faith in his own skills.