A mid-afternoon home invasion in an Atlanta, Georgia, suburb illustrates the advantages and disadvantages of a revolver for home defense. Donnie and Melinda Herman kept a basic .38 caliber revolver in their home for self-defense. When a home invasion burglar entered their home on January 4, 2013, Mrs. Herman used the revolver to save the day.
Home Invasion Scenario. When Melinda Herman spotted a suspicious man outside her Loganville home, she rounded up their two children, got the revolver, locked two interior doors in the house, called her husband, and hid in the attic. Armed with a crowbar, the man broke in, heard a noise, and started searching the home its occupants. When he opened the attic door, Mrs. Herman opened fire hitting him with five of six shots. She and the kids then dashed out of their house to find refuge at a neighbors. The suspect got up and fled the scene. He crashed his SUV a few houses away. Since Georgia has a strong “Castle Doctrine,” the legality of her actions is not in question. She had every right to defend herself, her children, and her home.
Advantages. When Mrs. Herman picked up her husband’s .38 caliber revolver she had one major advantage: Simplicity. All she had to do was aim and pull the trigger. There were no complicated levers. She didn’t have to rack a slide to chamber a round or flick off a safety. She didn’t have to find a tiny little key and unlock her firearm. In a moment of extreme stress, the revolver didn’t test her fine motor skills. Donnie Herman was able to instruct and remind his wife in how to use the handgun over the phone. She could remember back to a range visit and shoot. Since she had a .38 Special, she didn’t have to deal with much recoil. This allowed her to shoot, keep the firearm on target, and shoot again to stop her assailant. Mrs. Herman hit the home invader with 5 out of 6 shots. Four shots were to the torso and one was to the face.
Disadvantages. The .38 Special was a little deficient in stopping power and firepower. After six shots, the home invader was not dead. Like a horror movie villain, he was able to get up and keep walking. Fortunately, the intruder didn’t move or press his attack while the family was still in the house. Mrs. Herman ordered him to freeze. The burglar cried and pleaded not to be shot anymore and the family fled the scene unscathed. Neither the home owner nor the home invader realized that the gun was empty.
Analysis. According to the Shooters Bible, a .38 Special caliber 130-grain Winchester round with a full metal jacket has a muzzle velocity of 800 feet per second and hits with a 185 foot pounds of energy at close range. If her handgun had been engineered for and loaded with higher energy +P rounds and expanding hollow point bullets like the 130-grain Winchester .38 Special SXT +P, each would have left the muzzle at 925 feet per second and hit with a more authoritative 247 foot pounds of energy. For a small increase in recoil, she would have had much more stopping power. An even more powerful caliber like a .357 Magnum might have stopped the home invader more quickly. A 158-grain Winchester Jacketed Hollow Point would have had a velocity of 1235 feet per second and delivered 535 foot pounds of energy. However, a larger more intimidating handgun like a .357 magnum might have caused the homeowner to flinch or be less accurate on follow up shots.
After unloading her firearm on the home invader, Mrs. Herman was out of ammunition. Had the burglar been operating as part of a home invasion team or had he been determined to press forward with an attack, she could have found herself at risk of serious injury or worse. That is why it is important to have more rounds available in the firearm or for rapid reloading. A simple semi-automatic like the Smith & Wesson SW9VE would have had similar recoil, but would have offered 16 rounds in a high capacity magazine.
Fortunately, this home invasion turned out well for the home owner. The Hermans chose a handgun for home defense and Mrs. Herman used it effectively. When the shooting occurred police were still 11 minutes away. The random nature of the home invasion has neighbors arming themselves. The burglar is still hospitalized.
Sources:
“Gun Rights Groups Say Georgia Home Invasion Proves Their Point,” Rich Phillips, CNN.com, Friday, January 11, 2013.
Shooter’s Bible, Stephen D. Carpenteri, editor, 103rd Edition, Skyhorse Publishing, 2011
911 Tape: ‘Shoot him again!’ Husband Tells Wife Hiding from Home Intruder,” Jeff Black, NBCNews.com, January 10, 2013.
“Woman Shoots Intruder, Neighbors Flock to Gun Shop,” The Associated Press, WSBTV.com, January 7, 2013.
“Woman Hiding with Kids Shoots Intruder,” Kerry Kavanaugh, WSBTV.com, January 4, 2013.
