Why One Homeowner Reaches for His Byrna First — A Real Self‑Defense Story

I love interviews that start with, “Tell me about yourself.” What follows is rarely tidy — but it’s always real. John (52), an Air Force vet who’s lived in Mishawaka, Indiana for about a year and a half, shared one of those moments with Byrna: a late‑night break‑in that changed how he thinks about personal safety.

A normal night that wasn’t

John says he’d dozed off in his recliner for a short power nap. He’d lived in his house for over a year and a half and — until that night — never forgot to lock the front door. Around 3:15 a.m. he heard a noise on his enclosed front porch. Before he could fully process it, a huge man — six‑five, six‑six — barreled through the front door.

John instinctively aimed for the chest, but the intruder’s body was partially around the loveseat and only a leg was exposed. “Let’s go for the knee,” John thought. He fired once at the knee; the man fell backward out the door, hit his head on the concrete porch enclosure, and was incapacitated.

Help arrived fast

John called 911. Within two minutes five squad cars, EMS and a fire truck were on scene. He watched officers escort the man to an ambulance; the intruder was limping badly. When police asked what John had used — because there was no blood — he pulled out the Byrna launcher from his couch armrest.

One officer looked at it, smiled, and said, “I just bought my wife one of these — the pink one. I wondered how effective they were.” Seeing the size of the intruder, he added, “I feel better knowing she has something like this.”

Why John chose a Byrna

John had tried different models of non‑lethal devices before finding Byrna. He was impressed by how compact it was — “just slightly bigger than my Glock” — and decided to test it. He even fired a shot into his single‑car garage wall and watched it punch right through. That test convinced him the launcher would do real stopping damage to a knee or ribs, without being lethal.

Importantly, John made a point about responsibility: he’s seen “enough death and destruction” in his life and doesn’t want to be the cause of a killing unless absolutely necessary. The Byrna gave him confidence and a middle ground — more force than some options, but not a lethal outcome.

Where it lives — and why he reaches for it first

Now John keeps both a Byrna and a Glock in the armrest of his couch. Over time he says he’s trained his hand to go to the Byrna first. “I always go for the Byrna at first,” he says, “and if the situation warrants it, I can always get to the Glock.” He added a point worth noting: for people who aren’t sure they could pull the trigger on a real firearm in a high‑stress moment, a non‑lethal option removes that hesitation. “People who even have a tiny bit of doubt about firing a real gun won’t have that doubt with the Byrna,” he says.

Final thought

This isn’t about glorifying conflict — it’s about preparation and choosing tools that match your values. For John, the Byrna gave him the ability to protect himself and his home while avoiding the permanent consequences that come with lethal force. That night changed a routine (and a habit): he still keeps a Glock for worst‑case scenarios, but now, in most situations, his hand reaches for the Byrna first.