Well, if you call 911 they will tell you to stay on the line. I won't. I have a written plan to follow and I will follow it.

As to 911, “I need police and ambulance at {address}, I am a victim of a crime, I have shot the intruder in self defence. I am {description of me and my clothing}, my gun is secured, the front door is unlocked, I am going to hang up to go provide first aid.”

Then I do go provide first aid but while that's happening I'm on speaker to my program attorney with US LawShield. He will tell me exactly what to do, and what not to do. Most important, he will tell me what to say to the police. As soon as he is finished, I buzz back 911 and keep them on speaker while I continue to render aid. I have a pretty extensive first aid kit that includes tourniquets, chest seals, nasal airways, quick clot gauze, I even have an automated external defibrillator (AED) if needed.

So 911 will hear me doing my best to save his life, and that's no show either. I hope I never have to take a life and if there is a chance of saving my attacker, I really hope I can. When the cops and or EMS arrive I will explain what I have done medically, and where I secured the gun and my ID, as well as point out the attacker's weapon.

Then I tell them what my attorney told me to say. It will assuredly be very close to this, “I called my attorney while I was rendering first aid. I had to shoot this guy because I was in danger of being killed by him. I want to cooperate fully but my attorney needs to be with me during any questioning. He has advised me to wait for him. If you like I will let him know to either come here or we can go to the station, or the hospital. First though, I need to call my kids to come take care of my disabled wife while I'm gone, and, for my own safety, I really need to wash myself and change out of these bloody clothes. I imagine you guys need to bag them up anyway. I just don't want to catch anything from my efforts to save this man. For that reason and because my age and health, I would really like to get checked out medically too if it's possible.”

Then, it's just a matter of seeing what happens. I have things in place already. I have adult kids who live in my neighborhood. I have current med lists and three days worth of dosages in a go bag for me and my wife separately, plus a spare BiPAP machine for me, with instructions and prescription copies from my pulmonologist in the case, so I can sleep safely. It's preprogrammed and I have long hoses so it should be something we can work with, even if I am detained.

The kids have access to my accounts so I should be able to make bond if charges are pressed. I don't expect that but you never know. It pays to be prepared though. All in all, this very unlikely scenario, probably the worst thing I've ever been through, will be survivable…

A big recommendation though. When we decide to be armed defenders, to exercise our second amendment rights, we have a duty to train regularly, to know and understand the laws concerning our ownership and use of firearms, to know with certainty when we can shoot and when we can't shoot. That a public duty. It's the great responsibility that comes with that great power.

Most of us have a responsibility to our families too though. The battle for your life will probably only last for a few seconds. If you prevail, the legal battle can be expensive. Tens of thousands of dollars, possibly a magnitude more. That's to defend your Innocence. To me that would be a disaster for my family. Loss of everything.

So I pay a few bucks a month for US LawShield. They give me access to my program attorney anytime I need it too. I was able to call my attorney about specifics of carrying certain weapons through three states to go on a bear hunting trip. 🐻 He gave me a legal opinion that is based on actual law and his expertise. I got in my truck feeling secure in the fact I was trusting my attorney as opposed to a guy in the internet. If I ever do have to defend myself or my family he will defend me and I don't have lose everything I own. This is cheaper than my monthly Netflix bill. Worth it to sleep soundly.

If you retain impeccable intent during the incident, act with respect and honesty to the police afterward, and if you follow your attorney's advice to the letter, you and your family can get past this.

One final thing. Even police get some help after a shooting. Taking a human life, even a good, justified, shooting, is going to take a toll on any normal person. Don't be shy about getting some therapy for you bc for your family. They were affected by this too. Working to process this situation properly, to make sure you're putting blame where it belongs, is essential to avoiding PTSD from this sort of incident.

This is my plan for something I hope will never happen. I have a very detailed written plan for most forseeable types of defense I could encounter. In Florida devestating hurricanes are always a ptobablity and I have water, food, generators, fire extinguishers, and meds for a couple of weeks without utilities or emergency medical help. I treat home defense with same sort of pre-planning.

I guess it's a matter of, once an Eagle Scout, always an Eagle Scout. “Be Prepared”, is just good advice for everything.