As with most families, safety is always a concern. Despite an early career in the criminal justice profession, both as an officer and probation officer, it felt like a moral dilemma to have a firearm in the home. The fear of an accident if my child were to get their hands on a lethal weapon was as much a concern as the threat of an intruder.
There are strategic choices if one is to be armed in their own home. Firearms safety and personal safety programs abound. Aside from a government issued firearm, I did keep a personal small caliber firearm. This piece was bought from a retired deputy at a pawn shop in my hometown. At the time I was single with no children, so there was little concern. I was a huge fan of 007 and liked the low profile of James Bond’s Walther PPK. This at the time had been the only firearm I had ever owned. That has changed after falling prey to a violent home invasion.
My Walther has had a long history of 34 years with me and harbors a few colorful stories. A small caliber handgun like the Walther .32 does not have the firepower, stopping power, or as much potential for destruction as the larger caliber weapons. But as an expert level sharpshooter in my initial career as a first lieutenant military police officer, I believed I could outshoot the average thug. Regardless of the firepower of my weapon. This can be true to some extent. Unfortunately, this was not how my personal encounter played out. And, that line of thinking exposes one to other unexpected risk factors.
There is a substantial possibility that I could have survived unscathed had I been properly maintaining the pistol. I had safely reached the age of fifty-eight, surviving my younger years as a military police officer, Atlanta police officer, and metro Atlanta probation officer. These years were filled with many harrowing stories of survival and success. And there are many stories! Since then, having been retired from the criminal justice profession altogether for almost 20 years, my focus had turned to raising a family and building a business with my husband. While at the same time working outside the business in higher education.
Having escaped the dangers of the earlier career, my big day of reckoning came nearly two decades later in the most unexpected of circumstances. That little Walther PPK served me well, but I had failed to ensure it was functioning properly. This resulted in a malfunction when it was most needed. There is also the consideration of type of round. Although I have a law enforcement background, I’m no expert in ammunition and different types of firearms. I do know enough to recognize there is ammunition better suited for target practice and there are other types of rounds more suited for self-defense. The way this played out after armed intruders kicked in the door was slightly ironic.
Bottom line, one assailant received three .32 caliber hollow point rounds to the abdomen before my Walther PPK malfunctioned. Had my weapon been in proper order, the next shot would have been to the head. However, on this fateful day, he was able to stumble away. Subsequently, I took one higher .45 caliber round to the abdomen. It ripped through my small intestine, ricocheted off the pelvic bone and eviscerated three veins which left me incapacitated on the floor of my mom's fancy white shag carpet.
Let’s continue to compare the fall out of the three rounds vs. one round in my story. Three rounds: The assailant took three small caliber rounds to the abdomen, retreated, was admitted to an emergency room, and released within a few weeks when he swaggered into the first appearance hearing with great ease. One round: I took one large caliber round. I received 40 units of blood during the life flight to a major trauma center and was met on the helipad by the on-duty trauma surgeon who sent me straight to the operating room. Both lungs partially collapsed, placed on life support for 10 days, resuscitated at least 3 times, 60 units of blood, 4 wound vac sites, numerous surgeries, to include a below the knee amputation and an ileostomy. Taking that one round has permanently altered my quality of life.
What can be learned from this horrible experiment? Caliber size does matter, but so does skill and preparedness. There are numerous other factors that can be considered regarding survival of an armed attack. But one large round can do considerable more to stop a threat and to do damage than several small caliber rounds. I hope lessons can be learned from my story that will save at least one life.
Comments