by Rob Keller
Published in Sixthday Sportsmen Magazine
Volume 1 No. 2 ~ Summer, 2013
As a kid, I learned the importance of consistency, accuracy, and responsibility through the shooting sports taught by my dad, grandfather, and two uncles. Some of my fondest memories include spending time on the farm with those men.
Years later, the Lord led me to a beautiful and loving woman who became my wife. I can't imagine being in a position where I couldn't protect her. Protection is difficult outside the home in Illinois where we live. However, I thought protection inside the home was good.
I desired to get an out-of-state concealed-carry permit, so I took a concealed-carry class. While it was a great class, it became painfully obvious that I wasn't as prepared as I previously thought. I took additional courses so that I would have more skills and confidence. I re-learned the important lessons of consistency, accuracy, and responsibility. I also learned a whole lot more about the law, the importance of character, the need to continually learn and train, and the need to plan for success. These lessons apply as much to life as shooting.
I felt fairly confident and skilled that I could protect my wife and me. We have an early detection system (home alarm) and created several “what-if” plans. I have received training from several top instructors, and also studied independently. Paranoid or prepared? For me, the answer is simple; I need the ability protect my wife. In the unlikely chance that something would happen, having a plan and the tools to act greatly increase our probability of survival.
Then the night came when all my training and planning would come into play. As my wife and I pulled into the garage, the garage door closed and immediately the alarm went off. The system performed flawlessly; it was loud and mind numbing. We didn't know which exit to try because we didn't know where the threat was. Reopening the garage door would take too long. My firearm was inaccessible. I was unable to concentrate to turn off the alarm, even though I knew the code. We hadn't planned for this event. I quickly realized I was not in a position to protect my wife and I've never been that scared before nor since. The monitoring company called and I told them to dispatch IMMEDIATELY. They disconnected and minutes later a dispatcher called to say officers were at least 30 minutes away. It’s true that when seconds count, officers are only minutes away. In our case, it was 30+ minutes. In those minutes, I had obtained a firearm and we left the house. As it turned out, the strong wind had rattled a door that tripped a motion sensor and there had been no real danger.
Recently, I listened to the 911 recording of the Georgia mother who protected her two children from a home invader. This mom had just learned to shoot. On her way to the attic with her children, she grabbed a revolver and called her husband. The husband relayed information between his wife and a 911 operator. The invader found the mom and kids, and the mom emptied the gun into the guy then vacated the house. The attacker who had been shot in the face and neck, left the house and drove away.
My blood turned to ice just imagining what the mom, kids, and dad each experienced that day. I heard the husband trying to remain calm while helping his wife protect his family. It brought back the memories of my night in the garage. What would have happened if a second or third criminal had been in her house that day? She only had six shots. It made me think how these new laws to limit magazine capacity will put more law-abiding moms and dads at risk. Maybe the criminals will obey these laws and turn in their high-capacity magazines and work alone, so the law-abiding citizen won't need larger capacity magazines; after all, criminals follow the laws – right?
In the next article in the series, we will unwrap the Bible and explore what it says about self-defense and protecting innocent life. Until then, consider: