Tragic Consequences

Saw this from a Pennsylvania police department this morning:

First thought: What is up with a cop not locking his doors? Like Greg Ellifritz has observed on multiple occasions, the vast majority of thefts come from thieves wandering right in through unlocked doors. And as an IMPD detective I know points out, most private citizen in-home defensive gun uses aren't violent home invasions, but rather "meeting engagements", where a burglar encounters a surprised resident in a home the burglar thought was empty or only contained sleeping residents.

I don't know all the details, but I'm betting one thing saved that drunk dude: The officer was almost certainly trained in the use of a flashlight to identify a target, rather than shooting at shadows. There's so much gun store claptrap about "Well, ah lernt to shoot in the Army, and a light will give away yer position!"

You know what'll really give away your position? Killing a loved one.

Accidental east side shooting leaves one teen dead: https://t.co/9lUwjZf3Ws

— FOX59 News (@FOX59) October 1, 2017

Ninjas are not coming to kill us. We know a cheap and readily-available solution to this problem:

Or, you know, if you don't have a flashlight handy, you could turn the light switch on. Or if the power's out, you could try asking "Who's there?" Target ID is a thing.

In conclusion (or "tl;dr" if you prefer):

• Lock your damn doors, people.


• Ninjas are not coming to kill us.


• Target identification is a thing. It's right there in the Four Rules.


• Your house is not a free-fire zone.