Disruptions (zaibatsu.circumlunar.space), 03/09/2020 ------------------------------------------------------------ Woke up around 2am this morning to some shouting in the back yard and a flashlight at my window. Found that my gun safe is a little hard to use blind/in the dark, when half asleep (mental note: do something about that.) It worked, but I should have been able to open it twice as fast. (Note: I'm not a gun nut, but I do *like* guns. I think they're fascinating and beautiful. This post isn't meant to be political, it's just a story of what happened to me last night. If guns stress you out, maybe skip this post.) After cooling off and assessing the situation, I realized that the flashlight was the local police, and that they were apparently looking for someone near the creek in the back of my place (they were on the other side of the creek and up the hill, near a home there.) A minute or two later, they packed up and started driving around the neighborhood, shining their search light between the houses. I went to the front of the house to have a look. Moments after the police passed, I saw a shirtless man running through an empty field across the street. It's not summer, and it wasn't daytime, so this was certainly odd. I went ahead and dialed 911, and let them know what I had seen (including the fact that there were police obviously searching for someone.) In record time, the police car had circled back, and I was able to point out to them where I had seen the fellow. They went about searching some more, and I didn't hear anything else (I have a friend who works for the Sheriff's office, so I'll probably ask him about it next time I see him.) Kept the gun out by the bed, and tried to go back to sleep, but that was tough; too many instincts at play, I guess. Of course, this was the second disruption last night. The first was when my 11yo son couldn't sleep, so he crawled into our bed until he could calm down. He didn't really have any reason he could point to. I blame daylight savings time (another disruption at play.) For whatever reason, last night wasn't destined to be a great night for getting sleep. Thankfully, I took a long, unneeded nap on Sunday. Take that, all you disruptions! *** A couple thoughts from this: 1. We live on a quiet street. My LEO friend even told me as much. But, no place is immune from the problems of humanity, I think. My guess is that the fellow with no shirt, out in the cold at night, was either on meth (I've been told they don't react to extreme temps as much), or was part of a domestic disturbance. The police response was minimal (two officers, one vehicle, no sirens/lights,) so I'm thinking he was a known offender. He probably fled arrest, and was not thought to be armed. I'm guessing, based on what I saw. Perhaps he was on meth and involved in a domestic dispute, who knows. Perhaps something else was going on entirely. But regardless of what was/wasn't going on, it made me think twice about my peaceful, quiet back yard. Living in the city limits has its disadvantages. 2. I'd never want to have to shoot someone. I already knew this, but standing by my back porch window in the dark, holding a gun and anticipating an unwanted visitor who is possibly high, made me think about it more. I'd do it, because I love my family more than I love my sanity or even my own life, but I would never want to do it. And I know I'd never be the same person. Some people might think that in this situation, the gun was a force for evil. I'm not sure how, but I'm sure some might think it. In my mind there were 4 potential guns in play: the ones on the officers, the one in my hand, and maybe one for the suspect (though, there would probably have been more police response if that were a viable risk.) If we could magically eliminate all of the guns, perhaps we'd have a workable solution- except then the police would have batons, the criminal might have a knife, and I'd have something in my hands as well, anticipating the threat. The evil quotient would remain the same (if any were present) in both scenarios. The weapon choice, or even lack of weapon, doesn't change that. My desire to protect my loved ones wouldn't change, and I'd use any means available to do it. Nothing would change, really, except the speed and efficacy, for all parties. Gopher doesn't need my politics, and I don't mean to involve them at all, but it's food for thought for me, at least. 3. Another gun thought, because I enjoy guns (sorry again, if that doesn't work for you, but you were warned!) Handling a firearm safely in the dark really requires quite a bit of safe handling in the daylight. Practice makes perfect. I'm happy to report that while my bedside gun safe isn't something I've practiced with enough in the dark, everything about my gun itself was familiar enough that I didn't need to see it at all. That is a comforting thought, because the last thing I want is to make a situation worse for my family by introducing variables that I'm not reasonably able to control.