Homeowner Uses AR-15 to Defend Against Black Bear in Home – VIDEO

On August 20, 2025, Mrgunsngear posted a video on X. The video appears to show a homeowner moving downstairs with an AR-15 with a weapon light. The homeowner moves away from the camera, wearing only shorts. He goes through two doorways and nears the far wall. At this point, looking through the doorways, a bear appears to be moving toward him from the left to the right.

The homeowner fires seven quick shots, and the bear drops. After the video, an image of a dead bear inside a house is posted.  While bear attacks inside homes are not common, they appear to be increasing with increasing bear populations. In 2024, a woman in California was killed in her home by a black bear. In May of 2025, a man in Florida was dragged from his home and killed by a black bear.

The man who shot the bear has posted details about what happened, the firearm and ammunition used, with a bit of video added before and after the video where the bear was shot. The homeowner wears night vision goggles in the additional video, then shows his full face in the last segment. The quality of the original video is superior to the version first shown on X.

The rumors are true. I did have to defend my home from an intruder. I’m glad we all are safe and that God gave me the skills and the tools to do so. pic.twitter.com/eR2Colq6Bg

— Earle “Marty” Combs (VERITΛS) (@martycombs5) September 3, 2025

The home defender was not allowed to keep the bear. In his location, bears shot in self-defense belong to Parks and Wildlife.  The bear was able to enter the house through a second-story window. The window was cracked to allow the house to cool down at night (no air conditioning). The bear pushed the window open and then pushed in the window screen. The defender’s hearing is fine because he had a suppressor on his firearm. The firearm is a 5.56 Geissele Super Duty 11.5-inch. The 5.56 Critical Defense Hornady cartridges performed very well. All of the seven bullets stayed in the bear, except for one fragment, which came out and inflicted a nick on the floor.

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	Geissele Automatics Geissele Super Duty 5.56mm NATO 10.3" Bbl DDC Pistol W/ BRACE 08-562S	EuroOptic.com	$ 2474.00 $ 1999.99
	Geissele Super Duty Mod 1 .223 Rem/5.56x45mm 14.50" AR Rifle, Black - 08-396B	Palmetto State Armory	$ 2215.99 $ 1995.99
	Geissele Super Duty MOD1 5.56 NATO Rifle - 16" Black	Rainier Arms	$ 1995.00
	Geissele Automatics Geissele Super Duty MOD 1 5.56 NATO 13.9" Desert Dirt Color Short Barrel Rifle (NFA) 08-521S	EuroOptic.com	$ 2372.00 $ 2139.00

The defender’s use of the term “Parks and Wildlife,” combined with the image of the trees and skyline in the later video, makes it likely the event occurred in Colorado. Texas and Colorado both have agencies known as “Parks and Wildlife.”

Inside the United States, bears are reasonably common from Florida to Alaska. AR-15 firearms with weapon lights and internal security cameras have become increasingly common in the last two decades. The 5.56 round would typically expel a 55-grain projectile at about 2600-2700 fps out of an 11 to 12-inch barrel.

An AR-15 type pistol or rifle is an excellent choice for a home defense weapon. It is sufficiently powerful, easy to handle, and easy to control in rapid fire.  Such rifles have shown themselves to be adequate for defense against bears.  The use of a suppressor, especially inside a building, can prevent serious hearing loss. It probably did so in this case. The shots are easily heard in the video. Without a suppressor, shots from a 12-inch barrel from a full-power 5.56 cartridge would be deafening.  The flash could be temporarily blinding. One of the advantages of the Hornady Critical Defense load is its use of additives to reduce flash.

The Defender adds some video at the end of his presentation, identifying himself as a Christian, and exhorting other Christians to remember they have a duty to protect others who depend on them.

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 retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.