Quite early this morning – 3 am-ish – while writing a story about some wannabe pirates, something caught my attention outside. I went to my bedroom window - a window that has a clear view of the entire block, three stories above the street. A shady character is slowly pacing the sidewalk and looking into car windows. (I have been known to chase a criminal or two while living on this street and I am proud to say that this is one of the safest streets in the entire city. )
I conclude that this guy is about to commit a crime. I have seen it before. He is paranoid, as he is looking in all directions. He walks the length of the sidewalk and then back again. He zips up his sweatshirt and then unzips it.
I pull out my Daisy BB Caliber 4.5 mm Steel Air Gun. It was a gift for my 12th birthday, and it has come in handy on many occasions. To load you must shake a BB into the little window, slide the window closed and then provide one pump in order to ready the gun for discharge.
I gently open the window and lie the barrel on a book (The Outlaw Bible of American Literature – for those that wondered) just inside the window making sure the sound of the gun will be muffled by the bedroom. The man stops and focuses on one car in particular. At about 80 feet, I line him up in my sights, and fire. The gun makes a ~fflopp~ sound and then, nothing. It was a miss. I didn’t even hear it hit anywhere. Being that it was dark I thought maybe I didn’t shake the BB in properly, so I choose to reload by hand.
The man is now standing in the grass right next to the car and he takes a look around while zipping up his sweatshirt, again. I fire, ~fflopp~ the BB bounces off the top of the car and hits him in the chest. He yelps and hops backward, startled. He starts grabbing at his chest trying to figure out what had hit him.
He walks back up on to the sidewalk – and I am laughing hysterically underneath a book shelf.
I reload. Aim, ~fflopp~ the man yelps again and grabs his neck. I was aiming for his chest. At 80 feet I might be pushing the limits of this gun. The man crouches down into a catcher’s stance, looking in all directions. A car turns the corner and is coming up the street. The man stands up and begins walking slowly.
~fflopp~ It’s a hip shot. He grabs his hip and picks up his pace. By the time I reload he is at a distance of over a 100 feet and a tree partially blocks any chance at a clear shot. I fire anyway. It must have came close, because he took off running.
Daisy BB Guns are a great tool for thwarting criminals. If you don’t have one, I highly suggest you pick one up.
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