Paranoia?

It's been a while since I've beaten my 2nd Ammendment drum, and there's no better story than this one, for one reason - it happened to an acquaintance.

A man who police said broke into an Army officer's south Augusta house to steal guns was fatally shot Wednesday by the soldier living there.

Capt. Barre Bollinger, an Iraq war veteran, told police he returned from work about 3:30 p.m. and found his house had been ransacked, said Richmond County sheriff's Investigator Thomas Johnson.

Capt. Bollinger told police he entered his bedroom and noticed that guns were missing.

He grabbed his SKS rifle - a weapon similar to an AK-47 assault rifle - and called 911, Investigator Johnson said.

"While on the phone with 911, he sees the suspect approaching his back door. Because he believes the man now is armed with his stolen weapons, Mr. Bollinger fires at him three times," Investigator Johnson said.

The good Captain has been a commenter on GeorgiaPacking.org recently and has relayed his own version of went down:

i haven't spoken publicly about this until recently. i thought it best for the folks (on both sides) to calm down a bit first.

it seems some of you have questions. that's understandable from what little the media had. i think it's important to share this story now because someone besides me may be able to learn from my experience.

i'm a soldier attending graduate school level training at fort gordon for my functional area. i came home from school around 3:30 pm. this was not "early" like the paper mistakenly portrayed, in fact it's kind of late. we are usually done with class by noon, so we can go complete the 4-8 hours of reading and homework required per night.

i entered my home, and went in the bedroom like every day to take off my uniform top. my LCD projector that is normally on top of a computer desk was laying on the floor. i remember thinking to myself how odd that was, and wondering how often georgia had earthquakes, heh. then i looked around the room, and saw the bed mattress half way off the bed. i then noticed that my .45 i kept in a holster on my nightstand was gone.

at this point, i knew i'd been burglarized. my first thought was to arm myself. i didn't know if the BG was still around. i went to my computer desk to get my glock 22, but it was missing as well.

i then went to a spot where i kept an SKS hidden (folding poly stock, 30 rnd mag). i locked and loaded the weapon and immediately dialed 911. i talked to the dispatcher on my cell phone in my left hand. i pistol-carried the SKS in my right...clearing my house room to room.

while clearing i saw the general disarray of my home, and also noticed a pile of high value items that the BG had obviously created on the floor. as i realized what this meant, it came true. through a window, i saw the BG coming back. from my neighbors backyard, he jumped the fence into my backyard. he was thugged out with tats, dreads, wife-beater, pants below his ass, and carrying a trash bag.

he opened my back porch (enclosed) door and came inside. he then made his way to the door into my den (where i was in the dark) and began to open it. as he was coming in, i told dispatch i had to assume he was still armed, and that i was going to have to shoot. i placed 3 rounds center mass and he dropped to the floor. he was still alive, coherent, but paralyzed. he asked why i'd killed him. even while dying, his first instinct was to lie. he explained that he was just a concerned neighbor coming to check things out after he saw a burglar. then, as he started to fade, he said he was trying to change his life. i kept my weapon trained on him, and stayed on the phone with the 911 dispatcher until the first LEO arrived.

the first LEO came around the corner with weapon drawn, i motioned to come on in, and he did. i placed my weapon on safe, put it out of reach of anyone, and assisted/cooperated with them as best as i could. this was my first major dealing with any LEO's besides a traffic ticket. i have to say that these guys and gals from the Richmond County Sherrif's Office were extremely professional, courteous, and calming. the medics were johnny-on-the spot as well. they both arrived quickly, and took charge of the situation with clear heads even though there was another shooting happening a few blocks away at the same time. you see a lot of skepticism when it comes to police in the world today, but i'm glad these guys are out there and on our side.

the burglar was carrying a false identity, but they later discovered him to be my next door neighbor's son, a 29 year old convict out on parole. he died within the hour after arriving at a local hospital. investigators searched his house and found my weapons and other items that were stolen (checkbooks, watch, camcorder, etc.). they also found drugs in his room (no, they were not mine as the paper vaguely made it seem). i had all my belongings back before the night was over.

lesson 1: BG's can come in your house any time of day. apparently they don't just sneak in at 2 a.m or when you are out of town anymore.

lesson 2: get a CCW and always carry. i didn't have a CCW permit at the time, and it could have cost me my life if i'd come home just a few minutes earlier. those guns that i kept around to protect me couldn't because of my lack of foresight. i now carry 24/7 unless i'm on post (where it's not allowed). even at home i either carry or always have a weapon within arms length.

lesson 3: use a safe(s). before they found my weapons, i worried that my lack of security might allow some accomplice BG to be doing bad things to good people. i now have multiple safes and use them for all but my carry weapon.

lesson 4: know the law. i didn't. even though it's probably not something you'll stop to think about in a life threatening situation, it's the responsible thing to do as a gun owner and a good citizen. i found myself wondering if i'd be one of those stories you hear about where they turn the victim into the criminal. fortunately for me the LEO's present assured me that i was within my rights, and said they'd have done the same thing i did. for those wondering, GA law has a castle doctrine that extends to all 4 corners of the yard.

lesson 5: always keep that cell phone on ya. they come in handy.

lesson 6: it was a brady bunch gun that kept me safe in my time of need. its folding stock was extemely important in allowing me to multi-task and CQC maneuver through the halls. the 30 round magazine was not abused...only 3 shots fired.

lesson 7: this wasn't the first time i'd seen what 7.62x39 can do, but it was the first time i'd seen it outgoing instead of incoming. it's good to know it works both ways. it's definitely an effective home defense round. however...be conscious of your backplane. these went completely through a body, the metal of a screen door, and into a wooden deck floor before coming to rest.