Bravo.

/kind of answers one of the questions in my profile
//"So what amount of soft tissue penetration would satisfy you?"

I don't care who you are, that's funny right there.

/.357 MagSafe defender rounds
//open him up like a melon, but won't go through walls and hurt innocents

Link is farked. He got the job done, that's all that matters!

/What, Hero tag on vacation?

Of all people... an ex-SF weapons sergeant -- a person with specialized knowledge -- using a .22 pistol? It makes me sick.

Entirely too awesome.

Just remember, two types of Green Berets: alive and dead.

farked already?

Farked in short order.

Bravo!

Man, I saw a pic of this guy, he's hardcore to the farkin' bone.

He had an onion on his belt and everything.

Retired Green Beret shoots intruder, gets court martial

BREVARD, Jan. 19, 2008 - Retired Army Green Beret James T. (Smokey) Taylor got his court martial this weekend and came away feeling pretty good about it.

Taylor, at age 79, is one of the oldest members of Chapter XXXIII (The Larry Thorne Chapter) of the Special Forces Association. He was placed on trial by fellow Chapter XXXIII members under the charge of "failing to use a weapon of sufficient caliber" in the shooting of an intruder at his home in Knoxville, TN, in November.

The court martial, of course, was very much tongue in cheek. The event itself was deadly serious.

Taylor had been awakened in the early morning hours of November 5, 2007,when an intruder broke into his home. He investigated the noises with one of his many weapons in hand.

"It was just after Halloween, on Monday morning at 4:30," Taylor said. I heard this commotion at the door and grabbed my fishing gun, a little .22 revolver, to see what was going on. I got to the front door and this fellow had ripped my security door out of its frame. He said, 'you're going to have to kill me. I'm coming in.'"

When a warning to leave went unheeded, Taylor brought his .22 caliber pistol to bear and shot him right between the eyes.

"I was about four feet away from him when I shot," Taylor said. "Looking back now, I'm glad he didn't die, but that boy had the hardest head I've ever seen. The bullet bounced right off."

The impact knocked the would-be thief down momentarily. He crawled out of the house then got up and ran down the street. Taylor dialed 911 and Knoxville police apprehended the wounded man about 200 yards away, hiding in a hedgerow.

Complicating the case, as well as the court martial, the offender was released on bail but failed to appear for his court date. Knoxville police said the man was homeless. They did not know his whereabouts or why he had been given bail.

The charges brought against Taylor by his fellow Green Berets were considered to be serious. He is a retired Special Forces Weapons Sergeant with extensive combat experience during the wars in Korea and Vietnam.

"Charges were brought against him under the premise that he should have saved the county and taxpayers the expense of a trial," said Chapter XXXIII President Bill Long of Asheville, NC.

The trial was held at the Hampton Inn in Brevard, part of the group's regularly scheduled quarterly meeting. Long appointed a judge, Bert Bates, a defense counsel, Jim Hash, and a prosecutor, Charlie Ponds. All are retired Special Forces non-commissioned officers with extensive combat and weapons experience.

Ponds outlined the case against Taylor, emphasizing that the citizens of Knox County were going to be burdened with significant costs to again apprehend, and then prosecute and defend the would-be burglar.

"Proper choice of a larger caliber gun would have spared the citizens this financial burden," Ponds said, "while removing one bad guy from the streets for good. He could have used a .45 or .38. The .22 just wasn't big enough to get the job done. Hash disagreed. He said Taylor had done the right thing in choosing to arm himself with a 22.

"If he'd used a .45 or something like that the round would have gone right through the perp, the wall, the neighbor's wall and possibly injured some innocent child asleep in its bed. I believe the evidence shows that Smokey Taylor exercised excellent judgment in his choice of weapons. He clearly remains to this day an excellent weapons man."

Hash then floated a theory as to why the bullet bounced off the perp's forehead.

"He was victimized by old ammunition," he said, "just as he was in Korea and again in Vietnam, when his units were issued ammo left over from World War II."

Taylor said nothing in his own defense, choosing instead to allow his peers to debate the matter. The jury, consisting of all the members of the Chapter, discussed the merits of choosing a larger caliber weapon as well as the obvious benefits to society of permanently deleting the intruder so he would never again threaten any private citizen.

The other side of the coin, that of accidentally causing injury to a completely innocent citizen if a more powerful gun had been used, also gained considerable support.

Following testimony from both sides, Judge Bates determined the charges should be dismissed. The decision was met with a round of applause. In fact, there was strong sentiment expressed that Taylor should receive an award for not only choosing wisely in picking up the 22, but for the accuracy of his aim under difficult and dangerous conditions.

After the trial Taylor said the ammunition was indeed old and added the new information that the perp had soiled his pants as he crawled out the door.

"I would have had an even worse mess to clean up if it had gone through his forehead," Taylor said. "It was good for both of us that it didn't."

Meanwhile, back in Knox County, the word is out: Don't go messing with Smokey Taylor. He just bought a whole bunch of fresh ammo.

Tribune Editor Bill Fishburne is a member of the Larry Thorne Chapter XXXIII of the Special Forces Association.

Inadequate caliber servers as well it would seem.

Link farked.

Smellvin: Of all people... an ex-SF weapons sergeant -- a person with specialized knowledge -- using a .22 pistol? It makes me sick.

Hey. It gets the job done. You don't need to shoot a burglar with a Howitzer to get him off your lawn.

Head shot with a .22? Next time go for the body shot ...

/get a rope ...
//jk

tortilla burger: Smellvin: Of all people... an ex-SF weapons sergeant -- a person with specialized knowledge -- using a .22 pistol? It makes me sick.

Hey. It gets the job done. You don't need to shoot a burglar with a Howitzer to get him off your lawn.

No, but it keeps him from coming back.

Thanks, Kevua.

Put the bullet in the right spot, and a .22 will make you just as dead as a .44 mag. The also make nice target and varmint shooters, not to mention the odd zombie. Besides, the dude was 80. He might not be as strong as he used to be. Some of those big-iron pistols are heavy.

I LOLed.
Personally, I would never use a handgun of any kind for home defense for the reason the cop stated in the story.
If you use a pistol of sufficient power to kill with one shot, you run the risk of hitting an innocent party or damaging your processions.
Its bad enough that you'll be getting blood everywhere, you don't want to accidentally shoot through the robber and hit your plasma TV in the process.
I always prefer a blade for home protection.
There's no safety to fiddle with.
There's no way its going to go through a wall and accidentally kill a sleeping family member.
It can't misfire.
It can't have an accidental discharge.
Its much more personal. You get to look them right in the eye.
All the blood is in one puddle.

Taylor said nothing in his own defense, choosing instead to allow his peers to debate the matter. The jury, consisting of all the members of the Chapter, discussed the merits of choosing a larger caliber weapon as well as the obvious benefits to society of permanently deleting the intruder so he would never again threaten any private citizen.

Win win win win WIN! I love it.

For those complaining about a .22 - it's the weapon of choice for the Mossad, so I'm guessing it does the job.

The Green Beret in question, though, just shot a little high. A gut shot would have stopped the guy, I'm sure.

Motto of the Frontsight Training Academy
"Any weapon will do if you will."

bitteroldman: I LOLed.
Personally, I would never use a handgun of any kind for home defense for the reason the cop stated in the story.
If you use a pistol of sufficient power to kill with one shot, you run the risk of hitting an innocent party or damaging your processions.
Its bad enough that you'll be getting blood everywhere, you don't want to accidentally shoot through the robber and hit your plasma TV in the process.
I always prefer a blade for home protection.
There's no safety to fiddle with.
There's no way its going to go through a wall and accidentally kill a sleeping family member.
It can't misfire.
It can't have an accidental discharge.
Its much more personal. You get to look them right in the eye.
All the blood is in one puddle.

Yeah, but you are going to have to get a hell of a lot closer with a blade.

Forty years ago today...

He said, 'you're going to have to kill me. I'm coming in.'"
Taylor brought his .22 caliber pistol to bear and shot him right between the eyes.

FARKING HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAAAAAAAAA!

Not only would I not step on this guys lawn, I'd friken offer to mow it had I lived closer!

Holy Farking Hero!

I was really getting a kick out of this story until the part about the Knox county citizens having to pay for a trial. Not so funny since I live in Knox county. Guilty indeed. Mental note-forget about breaking into this guys house

Nothing wrong with a .22 if you place the shot accurately.

Moral to the story: If there's a hedgerow, don't be alone there. Smokey's comin' for your behind.

JammerJim: Put the bullet in the right spot, and a .22 will make you just as dead as a .44 mag. The also make nice target and varmint shooters, not to mention the odd zombie. Besides, the dude was 80. He might not be as strong as he used to be. Some of those big-iron pistols are heavy.

TFA said he hit him right between the eyes, and it bounced off his skull...

I agree... Being a SF, he should have gone for center-mass, I still think a .22 in the heart is fatal...

Kevua: "It was just after Halloween, on Monday morning at 4:30," Taylor said. I heard this commotion at the door and grabbed my fishing gun, a little .22 revolver, to see what was going on. I got to the front door and this fellow had ripped my security door out of its frame. He said, 'you're going to have to kill me. I'm coming in.'"

Are there Barracuda in Tennessee? What do you do with a "fishing gun"?

Hahahaha that old guy is awesome!

Taylor dialed 911 and Knoxville police apprehended the wounded man about 200 yards away, hiding in a hedgerow.

That's the first time I've seen the word "hedgerow" used outside of a Led Zeppelin song.

Was there a bustle in that hedgerow?

Emrick: Are there Barracuda in Tennessee? What do you do with a "fishing gun"?

You make sure that nobody steals your expensive fishing gear.

Emrick

no you use the gun on other fishermen who try to bogart your favorite spot

Woman survives 6 shots:
Link (new window)

All the blood is in one puddle

Blood tends to spray rather profusely from an arterial cut.

Bad buy was about 1/2 inch from taking a .22 round through the eye socket and dying. I suspect that the round did not penetrate because of the low sloping forehead of the perp.

Where ever the old guy is going, I'd follow.

Smellvin: Of all people... an ex-SF weapons sergeant -- a person with specialized knowledge -- using a .22 pistol? It makes me sick.

Actually, that caliber kind of hurts in a bee sting kind of way when put into the wrong hands (as compared to other weapons), but in the right hands is rather lethal.

I'm guessing this guy knew what to do with it.

Mods should know better than to ever greenlight a wordpress article.

Well done subby! I submitted this with a lamer headline.

/just a great story

Is there anything fishing guns can't do?

I hope his punishment was to be taken immediately down to the gun store and made to purchase a higher caliber weapon. Oh, and given required hours of range time on it.



/ shoot burglars
// put their heads on a pike

Rules for a Gunfight
Anonymous

1. Bring a gun. Preferably, bring at least two guns. Bring all of your friends who have guns.
2. Anything worth shooting once is worth shooting twice. Ammo is cheap - life is expensive.
3. Only hits count. The only thing worse than a miss is a slow miss.
4. If your shooting stance is good, you're probably not moving fast enough or using cover correctly.
5. Move away from your attacker. Distance is your friend. (Lateral and diagonal movement are preferred.)
6. If you can choose what to bring to a gunfight, bring a long gun and a friend with a long gun.
7. In ten years nobody will remember the details of caliber, stance, or tactics. They will only remember who lived.
8. If you are not shooting, you should be communicating, reloading, and running.
9. Accuracy is relative: most combat shooting standards will be more dependent on "pucker factor" than the inherent accuracy of the gun. Use a gun that works EVERY TIME. "All skill is in vain when an Angel blows the powder from the flintlock of your musket."
10. Someday someone may kill you with your own gun, but they should have to beat you to death with it because it is empty.
11. Always cheat, always win. The only unfair fight is the one you lose.
12. Have a plan.
13. Have a back-up plan, because the first one won't work.
14. Use cover or concealment as much as possible.
15. Flank your adversary when possible. Protect yours.
16. Don't drop your guard.
17. Always tactical load and threat scan 360 degrees.
18. Watch their hands. Hands kill. (In God we trust. Everyone else, keep your hands where I can see them.)
19. Decide to be aggressive ENOUGH, quickly ENOUGH.
20. The faster you finish the fight, the less shot you will get.
21. Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet.
22. Be courteous to everyone, friendly to no one.
23. Your number one option for personal security is a lifelong commitment to avoidance, deterrence, and de-escalation.
24. Do not attend a gun fight with a handgun, the caliber of which does not start with anything smaller than "4".
25. You can't miss fast enough to win.

drdan: Taylor dialed 911 and Knoxville police apprehended the wounded man about 200 yards away, hiding in a hedgerow.

That's the first time I've seen the word "hedgerow" used outside of a Led Zeppelin song.

Was there a bustle in that hedgerow?


Apparently you've never read or watched anything involving the Normandy invasion.

/Zeppelin Rules!!

Fishing gun?

I vote we give him a redo with a bigger gun and a backstop behind the intruder.

bitteroldman: I LOLed.
Personally, I would never use a handgun of any kind for home defense for the reason the cop stated in the story.
.....

Its much more personal. You get to look them right in the eye.
All the blood is in one puddle.

Of course, there's always the Granny Clampett method: a shotgun charged up with rock salt and bacon rind.

/"I'm gonna salt his hindquarters, Jed!"
//I know, her name was Moses not Clampett.
///Easier that way.

I_Can't_Believe_it's_not_Boutros: Emrick: Are there Barracuda in Tennessee? What do you do with a "fishing gun"?

You make sure that nobody steals your expensive fishing gear.

I'm glad someone else caught that. Kind of makes you wonder what other types of guns this guy has...

Excellent aim.

Crappy choice of weapon/ammo.

Could have chosen a large enough caliber to accomplish the mission, and used a Glaser Safety Slug FTW.

This article reeks of gun thuggery. Apparently these guys were mad because he didn't make the burglar suffer enough. You have a right to self-defense. That right doesn't give you license to be smug and angry towards the rest of the world.

I_Can't_Believe_it's_not_Boutros: You make sure that nobody steals your expensive fishing gear.

docwizz: no you use the gun on other fishermen who try to bogart your favorite spot

Thank you.