Today’s lesson in the value of gun ownership comes to us from Liberty Hill, Texas an exurb of SNW’s home base of Austin. Liberty Hill is a growing rural community about 45 minutes northwest of the capital and definitely not an area that’s subject to the kinds of pathologies the city of Austin has worked so hard to enable over the past decade.
A home owner, Daryl Stevens, noticed a shirtless man with a machete passed out in his yard. While he worked to secure his home and his wife dialed 911 (two children were also there at the time) the man woke up and attempted to force entry to the home, machete in hand.
“I started running through the house. I locked every door as fast as possible, ran upstairs. Luckily, I had a firearm here, so I grabbed my 9mm, unlocked it, ran down as fast as possible,” Stevens said.
The suspect, later identified as 43-year-old Jerry Escamilla, managed to climb a fence and get to the upper deck of the family’s home.
He was greeted by Stevens’ handgun when he arrived.
The home owner told Escamilla that he needed to leave. Immediately. Seeing Stevens pointing a 9mm handgun at him, Escamilla was lucid enough to comply.
“I just had to protect my family, and that’s what I did. Luckily, I didn’t have to discharge my firearm,” Stevens said. “It’s just not something you expect to happen in Liberty Hill in the country or way out in the country in the very back of this new, nice neighborhood… we moved out here, we moved further out of the city to feel safe.”
Yes, well, the reality is that the problems that afflict urban areas have a way of migrating outward. And even relatively safe rural areas have their own issues with, shall we say, sketchy individuals.
This was yet another example of a very successful defensive gun use brought to you by America’s right to keep and bear arms. It was the best kind of DGU, in fact…the kind that doesn’t require a pull of a trigger. Most of the 1.6 million DGUs that happen each year in this country don’t involve a gun going bang. Just the knowledge that the gun is present is frequently enough to change minds.
Most miscreants aren’t dumb enough to test a gun owner’s willingness to shoot. The sight of a potential victim with a gun is, more often than not, enough to convince them to target someone else. Mr. Escamilla was subsequently arrested.
Another of the Biden/Harris administration’s illegals looking to make a better life for himself
My thought exactly. “Jerry”? Likely Geraldo.
Without delving into too much Monday-morning-quarterbacking, this looks like a situation where the shotgun would have been a more optimal tool to have than a handgun.
The best part of this event was that in fact, lethal force was not applied or needed, as pointed out.
The shotgun should offer more in this regard: its physical presence and appearance is going to have a greater effect than the handgun. It’s far more intimidating-looking, and that ought to help supress the attacker’s urge to “go kinetic”.
Then, as a non-lethal weapon itself, the shotgun is very useful, as a striking, poking, and clubbing instrument. Ramming a muzzle into a sternum will take care of a lot of problems while still maintaining a little bit of space from a non-firearm weapon like a machete.
Finally, and hoping very much it does not become necessary, the shotgun’s vastly superior power is much more likely to end an attack than any handgun.
And, to some (variable) degree, a shotgun is slightly more child-proof than a handgun, as operating the slide and even holding it up will be beyond toddler-sized childrens’ ability. A minor thing, but in a household where access must be comprised and compromise is not always perfect, it could matter.
“lethal force was not applied or needed”
You must do better than one out of two.
The presence of countervailing lethal force was essential in preventing lethal force from being applied by a machete.
btw, why don’t you think a machete is NOT “lethal force”?
WPZ,
Pointing a firearm at someone without pulling the trigger is still deadly force–legally speaking.
Consult with an attorney in your jurisdiction for the details of self-defense and deadly force laws.
The sight of a potential victim with a gun is, more often than not, enough to convince them to target someone else.
Which is why I open carry
I think the home owner should have
Shot the guy.. he will just try again
Ritahorsey@roadrunner .com
He brought a knife to a gunfight.
But it was a BIG Knife.