The philosophy of self-reliance seems to have always been a curiously American trait and one that evidently still strongly exists in the cultural gene pool, despite what some would argue have been energetic efforts by do-gooder social engineers to wipe it out.
Simply put, the roster of would-be robbers who discovered the hard way that they have made a terribly flawed choice in the victim selection process would probably fill a library. Like it or not, America is an armed society, and they know how to fight back when the chips are down.
I wrote about this two years ago with Alan Gottlieb in America Fights Back: Armed Self-Defense in a Violent Age. We mixed scores of individual accounts with data from various sources to look at personal protection from the perspective of the victim.
Just ask the thug who tried to break into the Franconia Township, PA home of an unidentified citizen at 2:30 a.m. on Nov. 1, only to discover that his intended victim was in no mood to be ripped off. Instead, according to a published account in The Reporter, the homeowner grabbed a shotgun, chased the burglar into the back yard and fired several rounds at him as he disappeared into the night. The case set off a heated debate in the reader feedback section of the newspaper, but at least our homeowner is still alive.
The botched home invasion robbery ended quickly when one of the suspects sustained a nonfatal gunshot wound to the stomach…
Then there’s the story of the thug who botched a home invasion robbery in Port Charlotte, FL on the night of Oct. 24, only to find a homeowner with a handgun. Meet Keith Sowers, 32, of Punta Gorda and his accomplice, Joshua Eugene Becerril, of Port Charlotte. They kicked in the front door of Peter Gilmore’s home, and found both Gilmore and his son, James S. McGlone willing to fight back. According to the Herald Tribune newspaper, Becerril held Gilmore at knifepoint, but McGlone ran into the older man’s bedroom where there were several guns, with Sowers hot on his heels with a tire iron. Never take a tire iron to a gunfight; after Sowers whacked McGlone on the head with the iron, his victim came up with one of Gilmore’s guns and shot him in the stomach.
When the male employee tried to take cover, the gunman opened fire. The male employee returned fire, firing eight shots at the robber who took off running…The female employee got in her car and tried unsuccessfully to chase the gunman
Down in Jefferson County, AL on Oct. 20, two employees of a telephone store were closing up when an armed would-be robber came in and aimed a gun at the head of the female staffer. Chivalry isn’t dead in the South, but a robber almost was. The male employee had his own gun and when he tried to take cover, the robber started shooting. The store clerk shot back and the gunman beat feet. Now, give two points to the female employee who jumped into her car and tried to chase the thug down.
Don’t mess with Texas, or at least the Austin neighborhood where an unidentified 81-year-old widow lives. When a guy broke into her home on Oct. 24, he discovered that elderly ladies with guns are more than most fellows want to handle. She fired several shots, and he probably ran several miles.
Franklin County Sheriff's Deputies said one of the victims inside retrieved a handgun and fired it, shooting one of the robbers at least twice, deputies said.
A guy named Ezekiel Feagin tried a home invasion in Mifflin Township, OH on Oct. 29 and it was not only the biggest mistake he ever made, it was his last. According to WBNS, one of his intended victims grabbed a handgun and cut loose. When the cops arrived, they found Feagin dead on the living room floor.
The point of sharing these stories is that there are people and organizations in this country that would pass laws and regulations to make self-defense impossible. They’ve been campaigning against gun rights for years. That story is told in Assault on Weapons: The Campaign to Eliminate Your Guns. It’s a new collaboration between me and Gottlieb.
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For more info: America Fights Back: Armed Self-Defense in a Violent Age.
Comments
"Here, every private citizen is authorized to arm themselves." John Adams
Too bad more Americans didn't live up to this authorization. I say tax the ones who don't, not the ones who do. They aren't living up to their job as a citizen, whereas those carrying are. Further, every time a good guy shoots a bad guy, there ought to be a pool of money from those who refuse to do their patriotic duty to pay them a stipend for ridding the community of these deadbeat criminals. I bet this would prompt a lot more people to carry.
Sorry, Paul, but I disagree. I think we have to respect everyone's right to not be armed, to forbid guns on their own private property, and to not be taxed excessively. If we don't respect the rights of others, they might not respect our rights if they gain sufficient political power.
That's the problem J C. All of us that DO respect others rights, have ours trampled on. I have said it before and always will. If someone chooses to not arm themselves, it is their right. If someone wishes not to have firearms on their property, it is their right. Suffice it to say, many public places, resturants, stores, and the like, would ultimately suffer by posting no firearms, simply because the populace would be armed and by reason of rights, choose NOT to be patrons of their business also succomb to robberies and other more violent actions by criminals.
I don't agree with forcing people to have firearms or taxing them if they don't. If you don't want to arm yourself for defense, fine, but don't take away MY right to do so. Carrying a firearm for personal protection is a HUGE responsibility and not for everyone. I back up that responsibility with training and frequent practice at the local ranges. I am aware that I carry the power of life or death in my hands; there is no greater responsibility!! And I hope to never find myself in a position where I would need to use it; I will be in grave danger indeed. People need to keep these things in mind when they purchase a gun or carry one.
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