U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- On August 12, 2019, at about 9:52 p.m., in Omaha, Nebraska, an apartment resident named Mark had some friends visiting him. He heard persistent knocking at the door. It got louder, so he looked out the peephole. Outside, he saw an unknown man at the door with another behind him who had a mask on.
He locked the door and went to get his rifle, a Ruger AR 556 (AR-15 clone). In the video, just as he returns, the door is kicked in with a rear spear type kick. As the home invader turns around, he sees the rifle pointed at him, and flees, all in less than two seconds, according to the camera clock.
John Correia, of Active Self Protection, does a running commentary on the lessons learned from this encounter, on one of his videos. John interviewed Mark, which is where we were able to obtain details such as police response, lack of media coverage, and Marks mental process. Mark and his friends were not engaged in any illegal activity, nor did they know or recognize the home invaders.
Several things stand out. The first is Mark used the peephole to discover something was wrong, rather than opening the door. That allowed him to lock the door as well as to retrieve his rifle. He had situational awareness. On the video, it took Mark 22 seconds to retrieve the rifle and return. Mark has some cover from the closet on the left of the screen.
The reaction of the invaders shows one of the primary values of the AR-15 type system: easy recognition leading to effective deterrence.
Mark did a good job. He was aware. He had an effective self-defense tool easily available and knew how to use it. In my opinion, Mark would have been justified in shooting the home invader. Mark reports to John he did not see any weapons, so he made the split-second decision not to shoot.
It worked well in this case. If he had been further from the door, he might have had a bit more time to make the decision.
There was no news coverage of this defensive use of the AR-15 type rifle. Mark reported the incident to police. We are told they arrived in five minutes. They took a report. No arrests have been reported.
A simple police report will not show up as a defensive gun use (DGU) in the FBI Uniform Crime Reports (UCR). The FBI UCR does not have a category for defensive gun uses. They have a category for justified homicides. It only catches about 20% of justified homicides. Justified homicides are a tiny fraction of defensive gun uses.
The vast majority of defensive gun uses are not reported or recorded in the media.
Several surveys show defensive gun uses of between 500,000 and three million a year, according to the Center for Disease Control.
Almost all national survey estimates indicate that defensive gun uses by victims are at least as common as offensive uses by criminals, with estimates of annual uses ranging from about 500,000 to more than 3 million (Kleck, 2001a), in the context of about 300,000 violent crimes involving firearms in 2008 (BJS, 2010).
Only a few thousand are reported in the media each year. My experience as an instructor and member of the gun culture for 60 years, is most defensive gun uses are not reported to police; a very small subset of dgu reported to the police are recorded in the media. Most of the dgu recorded in the media are in small, local markets. It is very rare for a dgu incident to make national news. The lack of reporting skews how people think about the issue. In many markets, people think dgu are rare.
In the video, after having stopped the violent home invasion, Mark goes into the hall. Later his friend goes even further. Mark is careful not to point the muzzle at his friend.
Mark and his friend may have exposed themselves more than necessary. They stopped the threat before they went into the hall.
This is a timely example of a common defensive use of an AR-15 type rifle. It refutes the current propaganda that such rifles are not useful for the defense of self and others.
About Dean Weingarten:
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of constitutional carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and recently retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
Some moron just asked: “What is in your shitty $800 a month apt worth trying to kill someone over psychos”
This statement requires a couple of comments. 1st; What business is it of yours what they want to protect? 2; What toilet town do you live in where there are $800 per month apts? 3; The KEY items in that apartment is FREEDOM and LIFE. Those are worth protecting for most people although since you possibly have nothing them let them in.
A question how do you know what color the President has on his penis?
Good job! Didn’t take 2 seconds for the robbers to realize their position was untenable and haul a$$. Robbers hand movement could have been enough to warrant a round headed his way. Hands kill. When some A$$ h0l# comes through your locked door you can’t assume he is not armed. Bruce Lee was 5′ tall and 120# soaking wet. So even if you don’t see a weapon there is ample cause to have your firearm leveled, targeted and ready to go. I suspect if he had taken an additional step toward the H.O. he would have been ventilated. He is… Read more »
Yet would be tyrants of the DemoCommie party say the AR is not a good self defense weapon,as they know nothing of Arms,any Arm of choice is a good Arm for self defense of ones life and liberty.
Or, to paraphrase an old saying, “a gun in hand is worth two in the safe”.
I keep my AR-15 ready for home defense loaded with some Hornady LE ammo I’ve had left over from my working days. Anyone who says an AR-15 isn’t good for anything but war doesn’t know sh!t from shinola.
Sorry to say, it isn’t just lefties…
Once again in the hands of the law abiding, GUNS SAVES LIVES….
Proof gun control works! You control the gun and he bad gun runs like a cockroach in the light!
Those poor Student Doctors, they were only collecting for charity. Bad homeowner with evil black rifle.
Just think if he had shot there would be less “student doctors” robbing and mugging folks…
I love my ARs for self defense, it’s a gun I’ve not had to fire yet as everyone who gets a view of the business end run or surrender!
I just want to point out that An AR-15 is not the most wise home defense weapon in an apartment complex. Note the neighboring apartment in the line of fire directly behind the assailants. Had he fired at them he would have been firing straight into the front door of his neighbors apartment. I would highly recommend a shotgun with bird shot for apartment/home defense when living in close proximity to others.
Actually you’re right about the caliber but wrong about the platform. If he had a AR-9 pistol (9mm), it would be a great combination, and the ammo could be tailored to lower penetration in the apartment scenario.
He should have gotten at least one shot off. What a shame.
He did. Two of them. Listen to the audio: Click, click; “Get the F… outta here!” His weapon chamber was empty.
I’m not too sure he actually tried to fire because if the weapon was charged, chamber being empty, it would’ve only clicked once because the weapon wouldn’t have been able to recycle, reload, and recock the hammer (for the second click). To me it sounded more like flipping the safety switch to fire and then quickly back to safe when he didn’t see a weapon on the intruder.
The video quality is quite poor, but what can be seen is his index finger was never on the trigger. At first I thought the sounds were from charging the rifle, but as best I could tell from the video, his hands were on the grip and forestock during the clicking sounds; therefore, I would have to suspect that Clint’s assumption, flipping safety off and on, is probably correct.
Hopefully these THUGS in training have learned a new skill. I hope they already know how to wash their clothing.
Maybe it was just a poor antifa member that wanted a glass of water and thought it would be ok…
Listen to all you stupid bastards. It’s probably the only weapon he has.
GOA does nothing in Washington State. They have never been here helping citizens fight for their rights. Other organizations such as SAF, NRA, FAC and NSSF have been actively involved in fighting for our rights but GOA does nothing. Save your money and give to a group that actually is on the grounds working.
Was that 2 shots he fired, if so sounded like an airsoft or possibly a .22, there are two distinct clicks or pops when he points at the thugs.
Something smells here.
The door isn’t locked, it’s not even latched, or we’d have seen chips of debris and damage to the door frame. Plus the guy outside the door waited until the guy inside got his weapon.
I suspect the four of them met at Denny’s later that night.
Look more closely at the video. When the door is kicked in, the strike plate flies off the door jamb. One of the longer shards from the broken jamb lands along the left edge of the door’s threshold. In my opinion, the door was actually kicked in. Man, after the Jusse Smollett fiasco, seems no one wants to believe anything …
Regarding the last sentence of this piece, “It refutes the current propaganda that such rifles are not useful for the defense of self and others.” No, it doesn’t. The intruders responded instinctively to a thing that looked like a scary gun in a tiny fraction of a second. There can be no controlled experiment to see if a shotgun or a handgun in the face would have elicited the exact same response in a similar amount of time. Because of the speed of the response, no shots were fired. So, maybe even a toy could also have worked. Maybe it… Read more »
just listen to the liberals and you will.
I’ve heard that some believe the AR-15 is not NEEDED for home protection, as OTHER weapons could easily substitute, not that is “not useful”, as Mister Weingarten says. That’s a big difference. I feel that Mister Weingarten’s use of the wording “not useful for the defense of self and others” is actually a totally false statement meant to inflame opinion. Everyone knows how the AR-15 is COMPLETELY “useful for the defense of self and others” in any number of places and situations.
I see a lot of thumbs down on this post. Just wondering why. Is the conclusion wrong or do you just not like it?
Because your argument is nothing but nitpicking, and blatantly wrong. There are many instances where those on the left, especially politicians who have use the phrases that include useful or similar wording. Take some time and do a little searching. [Two Senate Democrats falsely claimed Monday that the AR-15 is not used for hunting and isn’t “viable for home protection” in a tweet promoting gun control proposals. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.) and Sen. Chris Murphy (D., Conn.) penned an op-ed in TIME calling for the banning of AR-15s and similar assault weapons. “Guns like the AR-15 aren’t used for… Read more »
I had to sign up for this thread just to bust everyone’s bubble–this was staged! This “Mark” from “Omaha” apparently never filed a police report, or at least I have yet to find it on OPD’s blotter. Nor apparently has “Mark” talked to local media, as this didn’t make the papers or even one mention on all of Omaha’s ‘Merica F&%$ Yeah’ radio shows. Regardless, the whole thing looks fake, and you all aren’t oblivious to it. Sure, right…the bad hombres waited to bust down the door till precisely the moment the good hombres returned with a rifle. Then one… Read more »
Take a close look at the entry door. It’s a masonite hollow core piece of shit that even an antifa girlie boy could kick in. Also look at the door sill, the striker plate is laying right there and another piece of door jamb gets moved by the punks foot as he’s starting to enter the apartment.
Literally if you are two dudes just gonna try and rob a little apartment and you immediately see a guy with any weapon you’d run no need for an Ar15 anyone with a brain could understand that … But that’s why you people are on this site come to the door with a baseball bat one half swing would have an intruder turning. What is in your shitty $800 a month apt worth trying to kill someone over psychos
And suppose one had pulled a knife or handgun after they kicked in the door? You’re attitude of “I’ll give you anything just please don’t hurt me” has filled many a table in many a morgue. What you do is up to you and your Right. What is NOT your Right is telling anyone else what they must do.
@Vann, Trollorangetwit is so trite: “dudes”. And his vision is based on his little “in forma pauperous” world. Suppose eight men and a semi-tractor/trailor drove, up all of a sudden, started shooting, and stealing the herd. What good would a bat be? What does he mean no need for a AR 15?
No need in his tiny little world of few assets.
Wow, why so condescending. You’re right in a sense any “weapon” could be used for defense, some are just better suited than others. You never know if the intruder is armed or not and they aren’t going to wait for you to figure out it. IMO a bat is not good for defense, a swing strong enough to stop an intruder is slower than you think and leaves you open to a counter in the follow through. Not an ideal situation if there are multiple intruders armed or not. Let me break it down like Rock, Paper, Scissors… Bat >… Read more »
Yet, YOU align with and support the murdering communists.
I laugh at your ignorance & cowardice, small dik commie.
Using an AR-15 is more about weapon recognition than actually using it. The idea is to stop the threat and am AR-15 is a very recognizable weapon. I’ve personally defended myself against a bat with my bare hands without injury because I knew what I was doing. If you’ll notice in the video and in the text, this home owner was outnumbered at the door, was obviously trained to use that rifle, and had the presence of mind to not overreact because he couldn’t identify a weapon on the intruders. The only thing that would’ve made this situation better is… Read more »