"He was a big, burly guy," said 89-year-old Beatrice Turner of the man who allegedly smashed in her front door and entered the home. "He was pulling at his shorts and talking crazy ... I always said if they come inside, it's me or them." Armed with a .22-cal. revolver, Turner yelled at the man to leave. According to police, the burglar instead advanced on Turner, and she fired a shot in self-defense, narrowly missing her assailant. A neighbor heard the gunshot and phoned police. Officers arrested the burglar in the front yard. "AII of [the police officers] were hugging me and telling me how brave I was," Turner said. The friendly officers even helped Turner reload her gun before leaving. (The Des Moines Register, Des Moines, Iowa, 04/21/10)
Police are calling a man lucky to be alive after he attempted to commit burglary in a firearm- friendly neighborhood. First he broke into a home owned by Avi Manges, who quickly got her pistol when her barking dogs alerted her to the danger. "1 hollered, 'Who's there? I've got a gun!'" Manges explained. The intruder looked through a window, confirmed Manges was armed and fled. Shortly thereafter, the suspect entered another residence; the homeowner heard a commotion and got his 9 mm pistol. He spotted the suspect, pointed the gun at him and held him for police. "If [the burglar] had threatened them, he would have been shot." police Sgt. Roderick O'Connor said. "You go busting into a house, they don't know what your intent is." According to O'Connor, all the suspect had to say for himself was, "Those guys pointed guns at me. They should be arrested." The only charges filed were against the suspect. (Glenwood Post, Glenwood, CO, 04/29/10)
Aman was enjoying his lunch on a park bench when, according to police, a suspect with a less wholesome agenda spotted him. Clutching a knife, the suspect approached the man and said, "Give me all your money or I'll stab you!" The mugger grabbed the man and shoved him against a fence. The suspect may have intended to inflict bodily harm on the man, however, he didn't realize his would-be victim was licensed to carry a firearm. The man drew a handgun and opened fire on the suspect, wounding him. The mugger was to be arrested upon his release from the hospital. (The Hartford Courant, Hartford, CT, 04/27/10)
When Michael Lish returned home to find the back door and a window ajar, he entered cautiously with his handgun for protection. As he inspected the home, a man dressed in dark clothing and wielding a sword sprung out at him. Police say the burglar threatened Lish and walked toward him. Lish fired a shot, wounding the burglar who fell to his knees. The burglar reached behind his back in an apparent attempt to grab another weapon, forcing Lish to fire two more shots, killing him. The burglar, who was on probation at the time of his death, was also carrying two illegally possessed guns, a knife and a stun gun. (Tulsa World, Tulsa, OK, 04/03/10)
Two masked men were going door-to-door looking for a home that looked ripe for burglary. They settled on one owned by Carlos Martinez, who was at home with his wife and children. Martinez's son, Bryan, answered a knock at the door, and the masked burglars thrust it open so forcefully that they damaged the wall inside. The men demanded money and Bryan, a Marine who was home on leave, retreated into the home and alerted his family to the situation. Carlos hurried his wife and daughter into the master bedroom and. locked the door. The women hid in the bathroom and Carlos grabbed one of his handguns. The burglars attempted to breech the bedroom door and Carlos fired three shots. The intruders fled the home. (WFTV-TV, Orlando, FI, 04/27/10)
An elderly couple proved that a firearm is all that's needed to counteract a burglar's youth and strength. Police say a 28-year-old thug learned that fact the hard way when he entered their barn toting a crow bar, metal cutters and flashlight. Charles and Kathleen Smith, whose barn had been broken into earlier in the week, stopped to check on the property and spotted the prowler. Kathleen shouted at the prowler not to move and held him with her .22-cal. rifle. The couple called police, who arrested the suspect. Neighbors have expressed much gratitude for the Smiths' brave actions. (WIVB-TV, Buffalo, NY, 04/16/10) |
I have been closely following the heartbreaking story of the March drive-by massacre in southeast Washington, D.C. and especially commend the commentaries of Washington Post columnist Colbert I. King and his rightful anguish over the broken system of local justice in the District of Columbia. The failure of D.C. criminal law to deal with recidivist, violent predators-what King calls "this perversion of justice and public safety"-is dwarfed by the failure of federal prosecutors to step in and bring to bear federal laws that are beyond the failed D.C. system. As King warns, "The dirty little secret of D.C. is this: DYRS (Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services, the District's juvenile justice agency), is a progressive idea gone wrong. The mayor knows it. His attorney general knows it. The D.C. Council committee overseeing DYRS knows it. No one knows it better than the juveniles who exploit it." He's right. The unacceptable situation in dealing with violent criminals, especially juvenile criminals in the District, does not have to exist. When it comes to violent juvenile criminals and tough federal prosecution tools, the official U.S. attorney's manual is very explicit. You can go online and read it for yourself: "Federal jurisdiction to initiate a juvenile delinquency proceeding may be established ... where the offense charged is a felony that is a crime of violence or one of the drug or gun offenses enumerated in the first paragraph of 18 U.S.C. 5032 and there is a substantial federal interest in the case. Juvenile delinquency proceedings can be initiated for any federal crime if the state declines to prosecute the matter." In the District of Columbia-where every criminal act is federal-that choice is clearly available to federal prosecutors. But there is more: "A motion to transfer a juvenile to federal court as an adult may be based on the commission of a felony crime of violence or drug or firearm offense .... " As for firearm offenses involving criminals of any age there is a second tier of criminal law specifically designed to take armed thugs off the street and truly protect the community. It is a law that the U.S. attorney for inexplicable reasons rarely uses. Let me quote again from the official U.S. attorney's manual: "Firearms violations should be aggressively used in prosecuting violent crime. They are generally simple and quick to prove." Got that? "Generally simple and quick to prove." The manual covers "... the mandatory consecutive and enhanced punishment under this section, which can significantly increase a sentence especially where firearms are used in numerous criminal acts ...." All of these provisions were supported or initiated through NRA's efforts. Our goal has always been to get armed, violent felons into prison where they belong. Public safety demands no less. All of these sections fit to a "T" what prosecutors should have done in the cases of the alleged March 30 drive-by shooters who randomly killed four kids and wounded five others. It's astounding that U.S. attorneys haven't used the resources of the United States District Court more aggressively to bring armed thugs to justice under very forceful laws against armed, violent criminal predators. These are surgical-strike laws that do not affect the rights of law-abiding citizens, but they do get violent criminals off the streets and make our communities safer. Witness the concentrated enforcement in Richmond, Va.-Project Exile-in the 1990s that dramatically lowered crime rates and, in fact, caused criminals to disarm themselves rather than face sure and swift justice for illegal firearms possession and use. With respect to federal firearm laws covering felonious possession and use by a whole class of prohibited persons, NRA's position has been abundantly clear. It is a federal felony-a criminal act punishable by 10 years in prison-for any convicted felon to possess any handgun, rifle or shotgun. It is a federal felony for anyone to possess a stolen firearm. It is a federal felony for anyone to give a firearm to a juvenile for the purpose of committing a crime. It is a federal felony for anyone to possess a firearm with the intention of committing a crime. It is a federal felony for anyone to use a firearm in the commission of a crime. It is a federal felony for anyone to cross state lines with the intention to unlawfully obtain a firearm or to commit a crime. If one were to add up all of the penalties for gun crime offenses by street criminals under existing federal law, total jail time with consecutive sentences could add up to literally hundreds of years in federal prison. The Washington Post should be questioning federal prosecutors on their refusal to use existing law to prosecute. With application of federal laws against violent criminals and firearms, the streets could be cleaned in a matter of months. This is action NRA has demanded for years, but the Post has ignored or belittled for years. The fact that prosecutors do not read and apply these simple laws is itself criminal. |
Declare Your Independence When You Vote Freedom First! "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." This month, 234 years ago, our country's Declaration of Independence made some of the most profound and powerful political statements ever expressed. Yet today, for the sake of partisan gain, many in the political class are attacking the eternal truths that frame our nation's founding documents as outdated, even dangerous. So in honor of Independence Day, let's revisit some of the ideals at the core of this country's experiment in self-governance to consider what they mean in 2010 America. The Declaration of Independence severed the colonies' dependence upon England, but the idea of individual independence was central to the Founders' thinking. Being independent meant you were free to fend for yourself, trusted to exercise your freedoms and allowed to excel or fail as a result of your own decisions without interference. Yet today, many politicians seem to want to make people less independent and more dependent upon government-for bailouts, buyouts and a variety of preferential treatments-and to provide for every need. This is the opposite of what the Framers intended. Government should be dependent upon, and subject to-in the words of the Declaration of Independence-"the consent of the governed." But when those roles are reversed when politicians put the people in the position of being dependent upon and beholden to them-our freedoms invariably suffer. What about the idea that government gets its authority from the people? George Washington wrote, "The power under the Constitution will always be in the people." Indeed, our Constitution begins with the words "We the people." Thomas Jefferson wrote, "Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves are its only safe depositories." Yet today, many politicians are turning their backs on the people. When politicians say one thing during their campaigns, but do the opposite after they're elected, that says they don't care what the people think or want. It's the same arrogance King George and Parliament expressed for American colonists in the 1700s. When politicians take away your ability to make your own choices, that says they don't trust you with the freedom to make your own decisions. We know better than you how you should live your life, they say. So they try to dictate everything from how you run your business to how much salt you have in your food. We've seen politicians demonstrate all of these vices-elitist arrogance, distrust of freedom and disdain for the people-in the gun debate for decades. They don't trust you to own or use a firearm safely or lawfully, so they seek to delay, diminish or deny your Right to Keep and Bear Arms. To convince you to surrender your freedom, they promise you security. They say you don't need a gun because the police will always be there to protect you. But as countless victims of crime through the ages could tell you, the promises of politicians didn't protect them any more than their own prayers and tears. Sometimes you can't count on anyone but yourself. That's what independence means. In this case, the other side of the coin-being dependent-means being defenseless. But you're not defenseless from arrogant politicians. The sacred beauty and supreme genius of what the Founding Fathers built for us through the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution and our Bill of Rights is that we the people will always have the tools and ability to retain control of our country. This year that ability will be demonstrated with your vote and the vote of every American who wants to be free. The danger we face is that between 20 and 25 million American gun owners are not registered to vote. So between now and Election Day, November 2, be like Paul Revere. Sound the alarm to freedom's faithful. Spread the word to your family, friends, fellow parishioners, co-workers, neighbors and anyone who will listen. Then get them to do what their freedom demands: Register to vote today. And on Election Day, Vote Freedom First! Together, let's use our votes to restore to our country the purpose, promise and blessings of freedom that attended her birth 234 years ago this month. |