August 2015 marks 18 years since Mike and Susan Gonzalez’s lives were changed forever after their home was violently broken into.
And Susan, who was against guns before the incident, now carries a firearm and trains on a regular basis.
It was around 12:40 a.m. when she heard a rustling sound at the front door. Gonzalez said she left the couch to unlock the front door for her son when someone kicked the door in.
“It came off the hinges and I took off running and screaming,” she recalled. “My husband was asleep in the bedroom.”
Two masked men had invaded her home. Susan was shot.
Susan’s husband Mike was shot by one of the attackers as they wrestled. It was at that point that Susan saw an opportunity to fight back; and fight back she did.
She grabbed her husband’s pistol, pointed it at one of the suspects and pulled the trigger.
“I just opened fire in his back,” she said.
That wounded suspect died on their front yard, and the other suspect got away… but was later caught by police.
“A lot of people are against guns because they say guns kill, ” said Gonzalez. “Guns saved my life and I was against guns. I now carry.”
She makes a point to mention that what happened to them was something they never thought would ever happen. Never in a million years. But it did, and because of her husband’s firearm, they are both alive today.
“I can only hope that another woman or even man will take a look and realize there’s a reason to have guns for safety,” she said. “Anyone that is a victim never expects to be a victim, You should be prepared.”
This is why Concealed Nation was born; to promote responsible concealed carry and firearm ownership, and to get people thinking about their own safety before something like this happens to them.
Some can be like Susan before the attack and think, “Nope, not me, not my family. It’d never happen.” The end result, though, may not be in their favor.
Others can be like Susan after the attack and know, “I train, I’m prepared, and I’m ready to fight if the time comes.”
It’s a personal choice that each of us makes, and I’m happy to see that Susan has made the decision to not be a victim again.
