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Posted: 9/22/2004 10:49:55 AM EDT
[#1]
I have not had to use my AR but I have used my Glock. However, as I have always been taught, you use your handgun to buy you enough time to get to your rifle or shotgun anyway. So its a good idea for you to have your AR ready to rock. And dont believe the people out there that say it would be overkill. AR-15's are perfect for home defense.
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Posted: 9/22/2004 10:53:38 AM EDT
[#2]
There's no such thing as overkill.
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Posted: 9/22/2004 10:58:25 AM EDT
[#3]
Before I had an AR, I had to point my Glock at someone. It was a backcountry encounter. I don't understand 'brandishing' laws as what I did is considered illegal (brandishing my firearm), yet it prevented harm being done to myself, and stopped what was happening. To me, brandishing a weapon can be enough, and perfectly legitimate as a method of self-defense.
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Posted: 9/22/2004 11:06:20 AM EDT
[#4]
Did not have to use it on a person, but a few weeks back the house alarm went off close to mid-night. Mrs. Wedge had been in the baby's room when it happened. I jumped out of bed while she came running into our bedroom with the baby. I had my G17 on the shelf next to where my AR was. I grabbed the AR without thinking about it and cleared the house. Did not find anything (false alarm I guess), but when I got back Mrs. Wedge had the bedroom door locked and when she let me back in she had her .357 in her hand.
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Posted: 9/22/2004 11:06:29 AM EDT
[#5]
I agree with you, provided when you "brandish" you are withing your rights to shoot, and the only thing that stopped you is that the BG stopped before you pulled the trigger. Waving a gun around just for effect, "just to scare someone" is plain stupid. |
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Posted: 9/22/2004 11:08:22 AM EDT
[#6]
This probably isn't exactly what you had in mind when you first asked this question; however, I recently (last week Wednesday) had a life threatening experience, which required my AR and some reflex shooting. Without it, I don't know that I would have made it. I was in a remote location where I sometimes shoot (75 Miles from the nearest hospital). I am in a wheelchair after having had a spinal cord injury in the Marine Corps. I have a power wheelchair but it's not that easy to get around in weeds and unleveled ground, both of which I was in at the time. I was going back to lower the tailgate to rest my AR on while I was setting up a target. I heard something in the weeds at my feet. I looked down and I had almost run over a Prairie Rattle Snake. As warm as it was, he wasn't sluggish at all and struck hitting my pant leg. I tried to back up (I think I yelled too) but my chair wasn't moving as one wheel was off the ground enough for it to just spin. The snake coiled again and was ready to strike again. I knew this time he probably wouldn't miss. I locked and loaded and let off 5 or 6 rounds in rapid succession just past my toes without aiming since I had my scope on set for 300 yards. The snake flew about 2.5 feet. I had hit him in the middle of his body but he wasn't dead. I then let my nerves calm a little and then shot him in the head. I probably should buy some shin snake bite guards since I couldn't feel a bite if I was ever bitten. In the amount if time it takes me to load up the wheelchair and get myself in the pickup then drive 75 miles, I would have been in REAL trouble. I always carry a snakebite kit but I was alone, in a remote location and without a cell phone or any way of contacting anyone. I was very thankful that I had my AR although I would have rather had my Open Sights instead of the Scope for that situation but I was very lucky. I cut off the rattles and kept them.
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Posted: 9/22/2004 11:09:07 AM EDT
[#7]
Maybe its because your AR is all ready to go is precisely why your town is so quiet???
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Posted: 9/22/2004 11:19:47 AM EDT
[#8]
I remember seeing a news report a couple of years ago about an old lady living by herself. She was robbed two days in a row in the middle of the day in her home. This guy just walked into her house and took whatever he wanted. After the second home invasion, the lady spoke to her neighbor, a 30 something gun owner. The next day (day 3) when mr home invader entered the house, next door neighbor is sitting on old lady's couch with an AR-15 across his lap. He stands up levels the weapon at the crook and holds him till police arrive. What sticks in my mind was his comment to the interviewer..."There was no question of who was in control of that situation."
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Posted: 9/22/2004 11:25:20 AM EDT
[#9]
One halloween in a little town in northern VT i used to live in there were a couple pickup loads of kids riding around. They went to the general store and demanded beer. The owner kicked them out and they said they were coming back with friends to get beer and wreck the place....knocked over a display when they left. With the police response time being pathetically long(like 30-60 minutes)....the kids are pretty brazen up there.
I lived right next door to the store and was friends with the owner because I was in there so much. After calling the police he called me and asked me to come over. I threw on a vest and grabbed my ar and stood in the doorway for 45 minutes before the police showed up. Two pickups rolled by while I was standing there...accelerating very quickly when they saw me. Got my beer tab erased for the month for my services :) |
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Posted: 9/22/2004 11:33:17 AM EDT
[#11]
Yes, I realize that is what 'Brandishing' laws are meant to stop. The problem is that anytime a weapon is presented but not fired, it's brandishing. The advice given in my CCW class was never present the weapon without firing it. Just seems stupid to me. If you don't have to fire, and brandishing stops a potentially criminal or violent situation, then it should be legal. |
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Posted: 9/22/2004 11:36:59 AM EDT
[#12]
Kudos to the Mrs. for following your plan: back to the safe room, obtain handgun, lock door. I bet she had the phone in the other hand. This is a good reminder for us to get our family members educated on what to do in cases like this. |
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Posted: 9/22/2004 11:39:28 AM EDT
[#13]
News flash.........if I pull a gun that will be the closest the badguy will ever come to death if he isn't dead already. Simply stated to pull a gun one first has to have suffcient cause (threat of death or severe bodily harm and a fist to the nose doesn't count) and be willing to pull the trigger. There should be no bluffing with a gun. Yes, I have been in numerous situations but not wth an AR. Tj BTW, also atta girl for the Mrs. |
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Posted: 9/22/2004 11:49:58 AM EDT
[#14]
Yep. We had worked out a plan for different types of things that might happen awhile back and Mrs. Wedge preformed her job to a T. Also learned from that experience that I am glad I keep my rifle loaded with a round in the chamber, and I did not have a single problem turning corners in the house with it (20" A2 style). I did not have time to think about all of it until after it was over, but since we had practiced and talked about what the plan should be everything happened without having to think about. |
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Posted: 9/22/2004 12:02:05 PM EDT
[#15]
Yep, I wish my Mrs. was as smart as Mrs. Wedge. She looks at the toy box as an infringement on her vacation "rights". I think Congressman Richard Baker (R-La.) was trying to introduce a bill at one time to allow "brandishing" in threatening situations.
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Posted: 9/22/2004 12:05:58 PM EDT
[#16]
You are not alone. I am in the process of begging for a aimpoint as we speak. Been at it for 4 months now. |
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Posted: 9/22/2004 12:13:34 PM EDT
[#17]
Legally speaking, you would be a dead man. Let's say you came across someone and killed him. A) you went out of a room you could have locked. The alarm went off and you had plenty of time to lock the door with you, the Mrs, and the baby, but you chose B) you left the room holding an AR (jury reads Semi Automatic Machine Gun) looking for something to shoot at. My advice to you would next time prioritize your assets. Top on that list would be Mrs. Wedge and the baby. Stay in the room with her and lock the door next time until the police come. |
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Posted: 9/22/2004 12:19:21 PM EDT
[#18]
Not on a human, and I didn't even have to fire but years ago when I still had my SP1 (oh how I miss it) I was walking through the woods near a place where the landowner sometimes dumped trash. My uncle's dog was with me and we came up on another big dog growling and baring its teeth at us from just a few feet away. I quickly leveled the old Colt at him because I was more worried about my dog than me. That dog must have known what an AR was because he cut out of there quicker than a rabbit.
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Posted: 9/22/2004 12:20:02 PM EDT
[#19]
I think that prioritizing would be to eliminate the threat beforehand... |
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Posted: 9/22/2004 12:21:36 PM EDT
[#20]
You are asserting something which is completely dependant on the laws of the state within the person in question lives. Don't assume that you don't have full control of your castle, it's all about where you are.
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Posted: 9/22/2004 12:23:35 PM EDT
[#21]
We get false alarms from time to time (one example is that the dog likes to set the motion detector off in the living room). We treat them all as if they were real, but if I don't hear any noise of breaking in and the dog is not going nuts like someone is in the house I am going to check it out my self rather than have the cops come every time. This time the dog did not set it off, but he was also not going nuts. Trust me the plan is different if we suspect there is someone in the house. About the Jury, I would rather take my chances with them than the intruder. I don't have a problem shooting someone who breaks into my house. eta - I would rather be alive to worry about the law, than dead and know that I was safe from jail time. |
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Posted: 9/22/2004 12:28:32 PM EDT
[#22]
Havent used my AR for one. (yet)
I have pulled my 870 on several occasions tho. |
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Posted: 9/22/2004 12:30:00 PM EDT
[#23]
That would depend on what the local laws are where the incident occurs. Some states and or local jurisdictions require you retreat if at all possible, even in your own residence, before resorting to deadly force. Others, like my home state of Oklahoma, allow you to use deadly force, in the event of a threat of death or bodily harm, no matter how slight, against an intruder in the home. No requirement to retreat, whatsoever. There is a specific statute on the books in Oklahoma, commonly referred to as "The Make My Day Law." In such an invasion instance, not only are you protected against criminal liability, but civil as well. So before I would advise someone to retreat from a threat in their home, or to investigate it while armed, I think I would first have them research their local laws on just what IS and ISN'T legal in that circumstance.  Lonny |
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Posted: 9/22/2004 12:30:57 PM EDT
[#24]
You're right. There are many places still left, thankfully, where you have no obligation to retreat when defending your home. Something about the right to be secure, and all that. Also, many departments are no longer responding to alarms because of all the false alarms in the past. |
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Posted: 9/22/2004 12:32:32 PM EDT
[#25]
I also plan on my story being the only one that can be told at my trial.
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Posted: 9/22/2004 12:33:24 PM EDT
[#26]
How many of you keep your AR in it's case (like the cases you get when you buy the rifle). Also, if you do, where is your ammo kept and mags. I ask this because I keep my AR in its clam shell case with the mags nearby. I think if I ever needed it how quick could I have it ready for some action.
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Posted: 9/22/2004 12:36:56 PM EDT
[#27]
I keep mine behind an arbitrary bedroom door, with one loaded mag nearby for quick access. |
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Posted: 9/22/2004 12:37:27 PM EDT
[#28]
North carolina has the "castle law" Deadly force is permitted by law to protect your house. As long as they are a real threat...you can kill them. It doesn't matter if you left a room you could have locked or not. My problem isn't gonna be shooting them, it's WHAT to shoot them WITH. Probably the 870...hehehe |
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Posted: 9/22/2004 12:37:36 PM EDT
[#29]
Stepped out of my house one day with a Norinco 320 at my side (Chinese Uzi) because a guy was choking a woman out in the street, and she was screaming for help. He took one look at me and immediately released the woman and walked off in the opposite direction. |
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Posted: 9/22/2004 12:37:40 PM EDT
[#30]
I used to, but now I keep the rifle with a full mag loaded and with a round in the chamber. There is also a extra full mag. in the pouch on the stock. When you have to grab it fast in the middle of the night you will be glad you don't have to get it out the case and load it. |
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Posted: 9/22/2004 12:40:58 PM EDT
[#31]
My step dad was arguing with my mom once, and i heard a loud thump and my mom yell. So my 18 year old self with my newly bought ak-47 started towards the door of my room. I met him in the front room cause he new he had messed up big time. Of course, knowing how much my mom loved him, and not knowing exactly what was happening, i buttstroked him to the ground with hesitation. When he woke up my mom was standing there and told him "I told you not to fucking push me!" I wish I would have had the money for an ar-15 instead of that ak, but it served its purpose for me, and noone died.
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Posted: 9/22/2004 12:44:02 PM EDT
[#32]
I also have mine loaded with the bolt locked back in the Open position. All I have to do is grab the AR and slam the bolt forward and it's ready to Rock. I have it right next to the bed.
Here is a picture of 2 of my AR's. I just got in my BiPod so I had them out getting ready to go to the Range tomorrow morning. http://members.cox.net/black_heart/AR-15s.jpg |
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Posted: 9/22/2004 12:45:07 PM EDT
[#33]
I know in Nebraska, if a person breaks into your house and threatens you, you can shoot them. You are NOT required to retreat anywhere in your house. The states that say you have to retreat to the last available safe room in your house before fireing are totally screwed up. |
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Posted: 9/22/2004 12:46:39 PM EDT
[#34]
Abso-fucking-lutely. But no, I've never had to pull any of my firearms on anyone. Shotgun is under the bed, AR is in the office, XD is on me or in the car. Shotgun and AR are loaded but unchambered, the XD is always hot. |
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Posted: 9/22/2004 12:47:35 PM EDT
[#35]
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Posted: 9/22/2004 12:48:03 PM EDT
[#36]
I don't think Kansas is one of those states that make you retreat. But even if it is, I would still do whatever I thought was the best course of action to protect my family and myself regardless of what the law said. |
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Posted: 9/22/2004 12:49:08 PM EDT
[#37]
I have the Mr. Deeds DVD as well. |
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Posted: 9/22/2004 1:29:52 PM EDT
[#38]
Not an AR
Used My SW40F to kill a asshat that broke into my house and attacked me. Me = 5'7" Him = 6'7" His friend 5"10" Me = Alive and Happy Him = Dead His Friend = Serving 25years in Florida Prision.  Never lost one wink of sleep over it.
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Posted: 9/22/2004 1:30:46 PM EDT
[#39]
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Posted: 9/22/2004 1:34:41 PM EDT
[#40]
I have the AR above my bed with a full 30rd clip, bolt on an empty chamber.
870 with slugs under the bed. If I need more than that, I'm dead. |
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Posted: 9/22/2004 1:35:32 PM EDT
[#41]
Does emptying a 30 round mag in the air while naked count?
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Posted: 9/22/2004 1:37:46 PM EDT
[#42]
One caution... it's remotely possible the bolt could be jarred loose and release from the bolt catch. Than, there is a remote chance of the gun slamfiring. I used to keep an M1 carbine in the same condition, and one day I was in my room and "ca-CHINK!" the fricken bolt slams shut all by itself. After that I stored it with the bolt closed. I know the AR15 bolt catch is more positive but you never know. |
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Posted: 9/22/2004 1:40:26 PM EDT
[#43]
Nope, but I have had pointed my AK at a few ass's that were in my yard starting trouble.
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Posted: 9/22/2004 2:34:57 PM EDT
[#44]
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Posted: 9/22/2004 2:37:27 PM EDT
[#45]
No, but we've had a few tense nights where we knew something could have happened but (thankfully) didn't.
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Posted: 9/22/2004 2:39:39 PM EDT
[#46]
I've heard that with mag springs, it's not the tension that wears the spring down, but the back and forth movement of loading and emptying the mag. I suspect that would be the same with the spring that pushes the bolt. |
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Posted: 9/22/2004 2:40:46 PM EDT
[#47]
another failure to stop!!!! m-14s for everyone!!!!!
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Posted: 9/22/2004 3:09:12 PM EDT
[#48]
Coming late to this thread, lots of topics, so many questions to ask/answer.
Never with my AR15 or shotgun or G17. Once with my AMT 380 years ago which prompted me to get something bigger because after it was over, I knew I was so outgunned...and he was unarmed. Check your state laws thoroughly. There are many states that don't require retreat, but there are also many that have conditions for deadly force. You can't just fire because he's there. There has to be some kind of threat, even if it's just proximity or you were in fear. Everyone here says they do what they have to do, but think twice before you start something (that you didn't have to) that you could have avoided. Sure I know we really can't know in advance if we can "avoid" something but in reality, it's gonna matter. No requirement to retreat, but you can't pursue and escalate either. I know for sure outside the home but inside perhaps too. I keep my AR with loaded mag and bolt locked to rear and safety on. I started doing this after I realized a round in the chamber with the hammer back could fire at anytime unlike G17. My ex-M1 carbine would always release prematurely, that's why it's an ex. If you keep the AR safety ON, even a slam fire wouldn't go off, right? I had a similar snake incident. Didn't get struck but close...I got him way before he had a chance. I keep two types of snake kits...but even so I would like some physical protection. A couple 3 or 4 hours from the facilities won't be fatal....painful maybe but not likely to be fatal from what I've heard...depends on how many bites and where bitten. Pulling a gun on someone is not always brandishing. Check you state laws. It depends on where you are when you draw, and all the other circumstances like how many, whether the person was in fear, etc. If you are legal to use deadly force, you are legal to brandish. If your intent is to negate the use of deadly force such as some preemptive action, you might be screwed. I am curious about this because I have had a few encounters in the backwoods and have felt the need to draw...but didn't. I'm curious what happened, if you care to share. |
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Posted: 9/22/2004 3:09:25 PM EDT
[#49]
You make a very good poing and while I've never had it happen to me, I've heard of it happening. I will close it and keep a round chambered. I always have my Sig 226 that's HOT on the night stand. |
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Posted: 9/22/2004 3:15:07 PM EDT
[#50]
Tens of thousands of U.S. Soldiers
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