Senior citizen self-defense

“Senior citizen chases off home invader with duster.” That was today’s headline in our local paper:

        “When an armed intruder broke into 69-year old Marquay Petersen’s house and demanded the keys to her pickup truck, she fought back using a weapon the had in her hand—a sheep’s wool duster.
        “’I hit him and I hit him, and I just kept hitting him,’ Peterson said, just a couple hours after the incident on Friday afternoon. ‘I’m sure he didn’t expect the fight.’
        “About 12:30 pm, law enforcement was called to the Peterson home on reports of an attempted robbery.
        “A masked and tall man entered the house through the unlocked front door and struggled with Petersen for a few minutes before firing a gunshot through the ceiling and fleeing through the front door.
        “Peterson was not seriously injured, though she was bruised and scraped on her right cheek."

Although the newspaper article goes on to speak well of Peterson, and to list some of her neighbors who have also taken matters into their own hands when attacked, in my ever-so-humble opinion the woman should have handed him the keys and then called 911. Why take a change of getting shot? You can always buy another pickup!

Meanwhile, when reading the above article, did three words jump out at you? The words that might have avoided the entire attack in the first place? “Unlocked front door!” But I suspect that if the thug had knocked on the door, Peterson would probably have opened it anyway, without knowing who was there.

Don’t just read this account and then do nothing. Talk to your family members. Resolve (1) to keep the front door locked at all times, and (2) to never answer the door unless you know the caller. (If you don’t have a one-way mirrored window, then install a peephole viewer.)

Even then, of course, a parent, spouse, son or daughter may nevertheless some day open a door to the wrong person. Therefore, do have a certain common weapon standing right by the front door. If you don’t know what that is, I urge you to order my Dirty Tricks e-book today. Then check out pages 31-33 in the chapter ALTERNATE WEAPONS AT YOUR COMMAND.

If you follow the suggestion about what to keep by your front door, you could someday save your life, or the life of a loved one.