I was at a graduation party this weekend and had an interesting conversation with an elderly man who was nearly beaten to death seven years ago. He lives on around twenty acres and has a large shop there for his construction business. He does metal buildings. He had sent his crew out for the the day and was at his place by himself and it was 8:30 in the morning. He said he was outside looking through piles of I beams kind of taking a mental inventory of what he had when out of nowhere he gets hit on the back of the head with a pipe. A young man he had never seen before tells him he wants his money and continues beating him with the pipe. He crawled towards his neighbor’s house and luckily the neighbor saw him and stopped the attack. The guy ended up needing fifty stitches in his head and had a long hospital stay. The robber was caught that day and was sentenced to fifty years in prison.

I told the man too bad you didn’t have a gun. He said he had a pistol in his truck but is glad it wasn’t on him as he believes the guy would have taken it and killed him. He said he had no time to react. The guy was definitely pro gun he was just saying in his situation he doesn’t think it would have helped and believes it possibly would have got him killed. We talked about situational awareness and while he agreed it would have helped he said just how aware are you on your own twenty acres outside of town that you have lived on for 30 years with no issues?

I guess the whole thing was just an eye opener for me. I carry daily and keep my head on a swivel when I am out and about but I must admit I let my guard down at home. I mean I am prepared for things that go bump in the night but I have never given much thought or prepared for someone possibly attacking on a Tuesday morning at 8:30 while I am out in the yard.

I’ve actually thought about this. Due to my crazy work schedule I am a very early riser. This morning I was out in the yard at 03:00 listening to the news. I break out of my “safe space” mentality fairly often to scan around. The truth is, I would be screwed at my house doing my thing if someone walked up on me like they did him.


I hate to even use the phrase “safe space” because it goes against everything I believe. But in this case that’s exactly what it is. Weedeater, chainsaw, music in the shade, etc. if you can’t let your guard down in your own yard where can you. When does it stop. On the pot?

If there neighbor hadn't stepped in he would have been killed anyway.


Him not having a pistol didn't save his life. He was bushwhacked and not much he could have done about it

If somebody wants you or wants to get in they are going to do it.

It's an evil world

Situational awareness is an all the time thing. Sad deal for the guy. Glad hes ok. But as was mentioned, evil is evil and will penetrate anything in this world it wants to.

I live in old part of town. Hard to descibe, lots are big, no alleys. Back and side yards are behind fence and electric gate.
Houses are staggered. I am cautious when out front. One thing my dad told me, older people are easy targets.

I keep doors locked, both at home and at the ranch, even if I'm just a short ways aways. 'Drives one son-in-law completely nutz...which serves as an incentive to keep doing it. He said my daughter locks him out of the house all the time. That's my girl.

I try to keep my head on a swivel, especially at the ranch. 'Never seen an illegal, and the power line easement is on the other side of the ranch road, but our house is the perfect distance off the road, if I was walking cross-country, not wanting to be detected, it's where I would walk.

Desperate people do crazy things. You can't second-guess every situation. You can minimize the chances of something happening, but you're never gonna eliminate the chance completely.

This is also why I have a shop gun. 17+1 9 mm.

He has a shop gun now also. Really neat old man. He served two tours in nam and then worked all over the world. Speaks four languages. He is 75 now. Still works. Hell he has a girlfriend half his age.

Evil does exist everywhere. I guess what struck me about the story was my house and shop are a similar setup and something like that could easily happen.

The good part of the story is the scum bag that did it dug his hole deeper. The first trial he was found guilty and sentenced to 30 years. He appealed and got a new trial and was sentenced to 50 years the second time around.

The right dog may have been more valuable than a gun in that particular situation.

Noteworthy point. If U.S. society continues this current decline, as the left is creating Utopia here on earth, breeds like Rhodesian Ridgebacks and Bullmastiffs are going to be in quite the demand.

If the bad dude was only carrying a pipe, even a little dog could have alerted the older gentleman and given him time to not be blindsided.

I’ve got a 4 yr old lab and she is the most protective dog we’ve ever had. I truly think she enjoys it and sees it as her role. And her bark is so deep… I have to think anyone on the other side of that door is gonna choose a different house. I guess some dogs are just that way.

When I'm out on property I carry a M&P shield 9mm at all times, including when I'm in the hill country.

I've never met a person who had a run in that was expecting it and was prepared.....it always caught them off guard.

Life is a gamble. No one can be prepared for every eventuality.

I'm going to carry, every day.

side note: a veteran LEO friend told me that in 25 years, he's never investigated a burglary where a dog (of any size) was inside the dwelling.


We buy guns and burglar alarms.

get a terrier.

Flint would not let that happen.

We have the DEWS security system at our house and you are NOT getting past that undetected.

Dachshund Early Warning System.

We have two of them because its good to have redundancies.

Most crimes like this boil down to someone needing drug money. If the government would give these people all the free drugs
they wanted and then furnished a place to take them, it would solve a lot of problems.

I don’t think a dope head needs anything free from me.

Yeah we have a Shizu - that dude has ears like nobody else- anyone comes near our front door he is a barking fool - I love it

When I travel or are at my place South of Bowie, I haul a Taurus Judge along for “snakes”.

This is truth

everyone is thinking they can't be had cuz we got our big bad guns, BS, like BIL says. If they wany ya, they will get you. We all do our best but...

I DO agree with having a dog with you if you are outside, in your property. They will let you know to draw.

Don't forget the free syringes.

Give them some of that fentanyl (free of course) that is pouring across our Southern Border.

Maybe the problem (drug heads) would self correcting that way.

A 22 to the dome would solve those same problems for about 7 cents. I worked hard for the taxes I pay. I don’t need it spent to keep a junkie high.