Only one gun was loaded.

by Sharon
(Coral Springs, Florida)

November 6, 2012 election night. This was to be the two hours that forever changed my life. There were things happening that led up to this however that I didn't see it coming.

I arrived home from an appointment with the VA. My husband was in the bedroom watching T.V. He had an appointment with a marriage counselor that day but failed to show. He was drinking instead. I went into the room, and he started yelling and screaming. At first I did not see the gun. He berated me, scared me half to death and placed it on the middle of his forehead between his eyes. He pulled the trigger! The weapon did not discharge, and I immediately thought it jammed. I am a retired federal officer and retired from the Army as well. I was now crying hysterically. He said " Whats the matter, you've never seen brains drip down the wall"? A few momemts later and more yelling he repeated and placed the gun to his head a second time. He pulled the trigger and nothing happened. It was then that I noticed the magazine was not locked and apparently there was no round in the chamber.

He got up and reached into the bedside cabinet and got another gun. I attempted to leave the room and in a graffly voice he said "Don't you dare." He placed the second gun on the bed in front of him and said:

"Lets do this, right here, right now. Pick up the gun in front of you, I'll pick mine up and on 3 pull the trigger. You shoot me, I'll shoot you".

I told him I didn't want to die, whatever was wrong we could work on it. I knew the gun in front of me was empty. I found out later the one he had was fully loaded. Using my law enforcement training, I distracted him. I told him it was 7 o'clock and the election results were coming in and let's see how Obama is doing in Florida. He was distracted, and I asked if he was hungry. I made him a sandwich and said the dogs needed to be walked. He was really tired and let me take the dogs out. I grabbed my cell phone, keys and dogs. I remember saying to myself "My life has changed forever." I thought he had a PTSD episode again. When I called the police, I requested no lights or sirens. I was afraid he would take his own life. He was committed for 2 weeks in a mental ward.

There is more to this story. I don't have the strength or desire to finish. I will be back for support. I need to write and read what others experienced. Why did we survive? I can't watch news hearing someone else did not get away.
God bless them.