CLEARWATER — A man who crept into a sleeping couple’s home died early Tuesday after the husband hacked him repeatedly with a machete kept under the bed, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff’s deputies say Steven Aiosa retrieved the machete after a rifle also stashed under the bed malfunctioned and the intruder began attacking his wife

Source: Clearwater man dead after burglarizing couple’s home | Tampa Bay Times

Prime example of why you need an alternative means of self defense in case your main weapon goes Tango Uniform. But as usual, there is more to the story:

The sheriff said Steven Aiosa, 43, grabbed a .22-caliber rifle from under the bed and walked with his wife out the home’s back door to the back yard to try to load it. But the gun was malfunctioning and he couldn’t get a round in the chamber.

Keeping an unloaded firearm around for self defense is like keeping a flat tire in the trunk: Not gonna work when you need it the most. And also, being under the adrenaline dump of an stressful situation sends fine motor skills to hell, specially if you have not practiced the procedure you are trying to attempt.

Hat Tip to Jeff A.