The Story

I know we usually focus on stories related to women and what we can learn in these news articles. However, I feel like we can all learn from this attack on a man which resulted in thieves stealing multiple firearms. What happened? During what started as a normal night a man heard a knock at his door. When he answered, three people broke into his home at that time, robbed him, and injured the resident.

Resident assaulted, guns stolen during early morning invasion of East Hempfield Township home

A group of unidentified men entered an East Hempfield Township home in the early morning hours and assaulted a resident inside, then stole thousands of dollars worth of property including multiple firearms, according to township police.

The three men forced their way into a residence in the 100 block of Madge Drive sometime before 3:49 a.m. Wednesday, assaulting and restraining a 56-year-old man once inside, said Lt. Matthew Pohle, a police spokesperson. The resident opened the door when he heard the men knocking.

The resident suffered minor injuries during the robbery.

The men also stole multiple firearms and miscellaneous items valued at $2,989. Officer Chris Keen was unsure how many firearms were taken in the robbery. Several personal items including a case for the firearms and a ceramic container were also taken.

Police are not releasing any further details on the items that were taken “so as not to potentially jeopardize the ongoing investigation,” Pohle said.

A physical description of the suspects, who wore face coverings, was not available. They have not been identified.

Investigators are now looking into the possibility that the robbery was a targeted act, “but that has not been confirmed at this point,” Pohle said.

The incident remains under investigation.

Original article posted on Lancasteronline.com

What Can We Learn?

What issues do you see with this story? I am concerned about two major things. First, the resident heard a knock at the door after 3 a.m. and answered without thinking about his safety. Most people will not be out at that time of day so your suspicions should be seriously raised.

Utilizing a common-sense safety plan including having a phone and a self-defense weapon with you, could have likely prevented this attack and robbery. There is no reason to have opened the door in this circumstance.

Second, this resident’s firearms were stolen. This story doesn’t provide all of the details, but there is a good chance that these guns were not locked in a secure safe. This is one of the many reasons it is so important to keep your firearms locked and secure when not in use. Please take securing your firearms seriously!