“Bobby Armstrong (66) has revealed how he ‘feared for his life’ after two callous thugs broke into his home in Dromiskin, Co Louth, on the night of March 14,” herald.ie reports. “The retired fisherman was held at gunpoint with his own legally-held shotgun during a horrific attack which happened just after 8.30pm. Mr Armstrong was left with serious facial injuries after he was punched and slapped. The terrified pensioner revealed that he was given a ‘good going over’ by the thieves [picture deleted by the herald] who left with a substantial sum of money and one of his two shotguns . . . ‘They didn’t get the other [shotgun] because I have been keeping it under the bed for the past two years since the house was broken into before.'” As always, there’s probably a lot more to this story than meets the eye. But one thing we know for sure . . .
Mr. Armstrong didn’t have a handgun to hand. Well, not a legal one above .22 caliber; the Irish government banned centerfire handguns in 2008. So a shotgun was Armstrong’s best/only self-defense firearm. Not that he could legally own a scattergun for that purpose. The Garda doesn’t grant shotgun licenses for self-defense.
In any case, it was a moot point. Armstrong couldn’t get to either of his long guns at the time of the attack. The criminals got there first, and could have used one of his shotguns to blow his head off. I could link this anecdotal assault to “a 24pc increase in burglars committing a crime while in possession of a weapon [in The Emerald Isle]” But that would be a digression.
‘Cause my main point is the same as it ever was: home carry.
If you think that burglars (a.k.a., home invaders) don’t know the importance of speed, surprise and violence of action, then you don’t know the importance of speed, surprise and violence of action. If and when they come for you, your money, your guns and possibly your daughters (e.g., Dr. Petit), the bad guys are not going to wait for you to sprint to your gun.
We are lucky to live in a country where we have the right to keep and bear arms. If you’re going to do so, do so where you spend the vast majority of your time. Where your valuables live. At home.
Sure, home is where you let your hair down. But you’d be foolish to let your guard down. Yes, the odds are low that you’ll ever need a gun at home, perhaps less than the odds of needing a fire extinguisher. But if you do need a gun to defend your castle, you will need it in a great big hurry.
Be ready. And be humble enough to see the danger. As the old Irish proverb cautions, “Every dog is bold on its own doorstep.”