I like the assumption inherent in this comment, from the Lawton, Oklahoma (a very Red area, actually) television station:
But, with two similar incidents this week - both justified - will it lead to more homeowners arming themselves to potentially fire upon bad guys who are only trying to steal?
That's the back end of the paragraph. This is the front end:
"I believe I have a right to protect my home and belongings in my home and my family," says Miguez. "You know, this is my property. I'm buying it. I'm paying for it. So I have a right."
Of course, they don't answer the question, they just leave it hanging in the air. You can read the whole thing here. And, as ever, you should, and not rely on my biases on the issue.
The context? Two burglaries where homeowners used a gun to protect occupied property.
This incident is a 17 year-old would-be burglar. The other incident was a fatal shooting of a burglar by a homeowner. I got it. He's a kid. Probably a punk. And his death being shot in a burglary would be hard on his family and friends. Not to mention extract a toll on the homeowner. But this is a perfectly avoidable situation. Not by disarming the homeowners, btw. Um, okay, kiddies, here's how it is: don't break into people's homes. Even if you think they aren't home (as I suspect this kid did from the article). See? Easy. If you hang with people who think it's a *good* idea, you probably need a new circle of friends. Need to get away from them to do that? I hear the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard are all hiring. Then come back home and join the police. Now *there's* a plan.
I'm not the homeowner, I wasn't there - I'm guessing I would have been more likely to use the gun to scare the kid into running and personally - if I id'd the thing in the kid's hand as not being a firearm - would have waited until he advanced on me before I would have shot. But that's me.
The lesson here isn't dangerous homeowners. The lesson is - don't be a burglar. There's a world of difference between this incident and the one in New Orleans where the foreign kid, drunk and confused about which house the party was in, got shot through the door by that homeowner.
Yeah, I would have waited on that one, too.
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