Whether to carry a concealed weapon or not onto listing appointments is a hotly debated issue in real estate, but for a father-son real estate team, having a gun available helped save their lives.

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The two real estate pros in Hamilton, Ohio—Kyle Morrical and his father, Phil Morrical III—say they received a call that someone had broken into one of the vacant homes they are listing. When they visited the property to check on it the next day, they encountered a man inside, who threatened to shoot them.

“He told us he had a gun and a knife,” Kyle Morrical told WKRC news. “He was either going to shoot us or stab us. He punched me in my face.”

Phil Morrical, 63, says that he intervened physically with the man as he saw him attack Kyle. Then, Kyle Morrical pulled out his gun.

“We held him down to the ground, and a neighbor called the police to help us,” says the younger Morrical, who like his father has a concealed carry permit.

Once police arrived at the scene, they arrested the intruder, Derek Miller, and he was charged with assault, menacing, and trespassing.

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Kyle Morrical says he carries a gun with him as a personal choice to be safe. He and his father go to the range at least once a month to practice. “I hoped I would never have to use it because it’s one of those things that you hope you never have to use, but you have it just in case,” Kyle Morrical says.

About 15 percent of real estate professionals reported carrying a firearm while on the job last year, according to the 2018 Member Safety Report conducted by the National Association of REALTORS®. 

Safety is always a priority for real estate agents, says Michelle Billings, president of the Cincinnati Area Board of REALTORS®, who highlighted several other safety measures many real estate professionals use. “We encourage them to try to meet the person at their office,” Billings told WKRC News. “We encourage them to get the driver’s license, as well, while they’re in the office. If they’re meeting a person they don’t know at a property, it’s important that they tell someone where they’re going to be, how long they’re going to be there, and who they’re meeting.”

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