Firearms Training

Dear Dr. Piazza,

Last week I went on a deer hunt with my boys out of town.

Before I left town I showed my wife how to access my Beretta .380 pistol in case she should need it. I explained to her that all she needed to do is take it off safe and squeeze the trigger repeatedly until it stopped going “bang”. I then told her, “Don’t worry, I’m sure you won’t need it.”

Last Friday night at about 12:30am when my wife was going to bed, she said that our dog started barking like she has never heard before. She grabbed my pistol from the closet and her cell phone and went to the back door to check on the dog.

When she reached the back door she saw someone trying to open the door but it was locked.

When she saw a man through the glass on the door that she didn’t recognize she called 911.

She then told the man trying to break in, “I have a gun and you better leave right now!”

Then from another phone she dialed my brother who lives on the next street up from us and said, “Someone is trying to break in the back door of my house!” My brother didn’t say a word but grabbed a pair of pants and his Ruger SR9C he just bought last week.

The man was still at the back door. My wife told the man, “If you come through the door I’m gonna shoot you!”

The 911 operator asked her where she was and where the man was. She responded, “I’m looking at him through the door and if he comes in I’m gonna shoot him!” The operator asked, “You’re looking at him now?” She said, “Yes, but he just disappeared. I don’t know where he is.” The operator told her to go and barricade herself in a room.

Then my brother came flying in the back driveway with his pistol. He ran to the back door and held the man at gunpoint until the police arrived several minutes later.

We are still not sure what the man’s intentions were. He was intoxicated when the police arrested him and they couldn’t understand what he was saying about why he was at our home.

It took quite awhile for the police to arrive since there was a big bar fight that night and they had all been dispatched across town. I am so glad I had the “talk” with my wife before I left town.

By the way, my wife is a 35 year old mother of four that is 5’0″ and 98lbs. Not by any means what one would consider a “strong” woman, although many of our friends now look at her a little differently.

Thank you for the weekly reports that you send us for free.

They have definitely helped me be more aware of possible hazardous circumstances.

Because of the information I have received from you I prepped my wife to defend our household while I was gone.

By the way, Saturday she is picking out a pistol of her own to carry with her all the time.

Sincerely,

Jeremy Hoelting