Gun owner: I, not cops, got bad guy (Wilmette Illinois man charged for defending his home with gun)

Chicago Sun Times ^ | 1-22-04

[Cubs Fan]

Gun owner: I, not cops, got bad guy

January 22, 2004

Three days after Christmas, someone broke into the DeMar family home in Wilmette through a dog door, stealing a television, an SUV and the keys to the home. The next night, Hale DeMar was prepared for a return visit. With his children upstairs, DeMar, 54, shot burglar Morio Billings, 31, in the shoulder and calf, police said.

Billings was caught at a nearby hospital and charged with felony residential burglary and possession of a stolen car, authorities said.

And, in a move that has drawn criticism, DeMar was cited with breaking Wilmette's ban on handguns and with failing to update his firearm owner's identification card.

The misdemeanors are unlikely to bring jail time. Wilmette Police Chief George Carpenter did not criticize DeMar for protecting his family but said homes are safer without handguns.

DeMar, in a letter sent to the Chicago Sun-Times, is now speaking out:

Village Trustees ... Stick to Parade Schedules & Planting our Parks. Many of us have experienced a sense of violation upon returning to our homes, only to find that someone else has been there. Someone else has trespassed in our bedrooms, looting and stealing that which is readily replaced.

Many of us, still haunted by that violation, will never again have a sense of security in our own homes. Few, however, have awakened to realize that they had been violated as they slept in their beds, doors locked, as family dogs patrolled their homes. For me, the seconds until I found my children still safely tucked in their beds were horrifying. The thought that a young child may have been hurt or abducted was incomprehensible.

The police were called and in routine fashion they came, took the report and with little concern left, promising to increase surveillance. Little comfort, since the invader now had keys to our home and our automobiles. The police informed me that this was not an uncommon event in east Wilmette and offered their condolences.

What is one to do when a criminal proceeds, undeterred by a 90-pound German shepherd, an alarm system and a property ... lit up like an outdoor stadium? And now, he had my house keys and an inventory of things he'd like to call his own. Would the police patrol my dead-end street as effectively the second time as they had the first? Would my small children be unharmed the next time? Would the career criminal be satisfied with another automobile, another television or would he feel the need, once again, to climb the staircase up to the bedrooms, perhaps for a watch or a ring or a wallet, again risking little?

Would my children wake to find a masked figure, clad in black, in their bedroom doorway, a vision that might haunt them for years? Would the police come again and fill out yet another report, and at what point should I feel comfortable that the 'bad guy' got everything he wanted and wouldn't return again, a third time? I went to the safe where my licensed and registered gun was kept, loaded it for the very first time and tucked it under the mattress of my bed. I assured my frightened children ''that daddy would deal with the bad guy ... if he ever returned.'' Little did I imagine that this brazen animal was waiting in the backyard bushes as I tucked my children into bed.

Fifteen minutes after bedtime, the alarm went off. Three minutes after the alarm was triggered, the alarm company alerted the police to the situation and 10 minutes later the first police car pulled up to my home, but only after another call was made to 911, by a trembling, half-naked father. I suppose some would have grabbed their children and cowered in their bedroom for 13 minutes, praying that the police would get there in time to stop the criminal from climbing the stairs and confronting the family in their bedroom, dreading the sound of a bedroom door being kicked in. That's not the fear I wanted my children to experience, nor is it the cowardly act that I want my children to remember me by.

Until you are shocked by a piercing alarm in the middle of the night and met in your kitchen by a masked invader as your children shudder in their beds, until you confront that very real nightmare, please don't suggest that some village trustee knows better and he/she can effectively task the police to protect your family from the miscreants that this society has produced.

This career criminal had been arrested thirty times. He was wanted in Georgia and for parole violations in Minnesota. How many family homes had he violated, how many innocent lives were affected, how many police reports went into some back office file cabinet, only to become some abstract statistic? How is it that rabid animals like this are free to roam the streets, violating our homes and threatening the safety of our children?

If my actions have spared only one family from the distress and trauma that this habitual criminal has caused hundreds of others, then I have served my civic duty and taken one evil creature off of our streets, something that our impotent criminal justice system had failed to do, despite some thirty odd arrests, plea bargains and suspended sentences.

Hale DeMar, Wilmette

[Cubs Fan]

This career criminal had been arrested thirty times

Nice little game the liberals have going here. Let the career criminals out, and then take away your right to defend yourself.

[Beelzebubba]

Already posted http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1062768/posts

[Cubs Fan]

Sorry I searched "Gun owner" and found nothing

[Spok]

Well said, Mr. DeMar. I can only find fault in his marksmanship.

[GLDNGUN]

AWESOME

[RicocheT]

The Wilmette homeowner had done all the defensive measures the police recommend, yet still suffered two home invasions. He had the locks, lights, dog and alarms.

It wasn't until he used his handgun in self-defense in fear of his and other lives that the burglar was stopped. Call 911 and get a report for insurance or death certificate purposes. Use S&W and save your life and property.

[TheBattman]

Wilmette Police Chief George Carpenter did not criticize DeMar for protecting his family but said homes are safer without handguns.

Hmmm.... Real safe. Like this family would have been had DeMar not been armed?

The only way I can see that homes are safer without handguns is that these homes are safer for jack-booted thugs who might bust in without cause....

[Check_Your_Premises]

The only thing I want to know is where was this 90 lb German Shepherd when all this went down?

My experience has been that even untrained, they are very territorial and protective.

At any rate, nice shooting!

[blackdog]

So use a shotgun next time. You can't miss and the perp won't walk away. Less chance of a missed round passing thru a wall and hurting your own family too.

The guy will bleed a lot more and moan and groan for a long time before they haul him off, which by itself has it's own rewards.

I'd love to hear the police asked just that. That being "If the homeowner had shot the intruder with a shotgun, would he still be facing charges?" I bet they would not answer and would still charge him in another way if he had.

It would call them to more honestly play their game though.

[JOAT]

DeMar was cited with breaking Wilmette's ban on handguns and with failing to update his firearm owner's identification card.

Splendid. This demonstrates what happens when a right is transformed into a privilege. By golly, he failed to get permission again after once receiving it. Utter crap. "Congress SHALL MAKE NO LAW..." is pretty straightforward.

[dts32041]

Remember the current crime lord of Chicago (dick daley) is currently lobbying congress so he can sue gun makers for his own poor choices.

[JOAT]

So use a shotgun next time.

Absolutely. Dead perp won't be able to sue the victim later either.

[blackdog]

Also no comment on the fact that any town banning handguns is prime choice for burglars. Might as well put up a billboard on the off ramp.

Personally, were it not for wandering pets, I'd prefer to have claymores buried in my yard with all the warning signs posted. Meter readers are not needed anymore anyway. The modem and your phone line for a second should have replaced them long ago.

[Onelifetogive]

...homes are safer without handguns.

More likely...homes are safer without defective humans who are have no problems hurting others for their own sick reasons...

i.e. Homes with defective individuals with or without guns - Someone will get hurt somehow.
Homes with or without guns and no defective individuals - People safe.

[GigaDittos]

Mr. DeMar, you are an unabashed, moronical, bubbafied, stupid, gun-toting, angry white-male, suspicious, poor example, dumb-ass.

YOU LET THE SOB MAKE IT TO THE HOSPITAL!!!!!!!! *primal scream* /sarcasm

[jwalburg]

That's okay. I hadn't seen it before. We don't own guns, but I am glad for my neighbors who do.

[cateizgr8]

ping :)

I would love to see that bastard break into our house. He would be FULL OF HOLES & not laying injured in the hospital ;)

[RunningJoke]

Shotgun is the way to go:

"The 12 gauge shotgun is the most devastating and lethal weapon yet devised for inflicting rack and ruin at close range. A safe bet for ammunition selection is to use the 2-3/4-inch 00 buckshot load. The impact of one of these shot shells is essentially equivalent to getting hit with a nine round burst from a submachine gun.

It is probably a good idea to avoid the 2-3/4- and 3-inch "Magnum" loads. Their brutal kick makes them a bad choice, and little is gained over the stopping power of standard rounds. Controllability is important, and standard 12 gauge shotgun shells have plenty of kick already."

[SW6906]

Hell YES, Hale DeMar!!!! Way to go!

[jwalburg]

How far away can you be with a shotgun and still hit your target?

[SF Republican]

Well said, Mr. DeMar. I can only find fault in his marksmanship. we need more gun control

[TigersEye]

Wilmette Police Chief George Carpenter did not criticize DeMar for protecting his family but said homes are safer without handguns.

Say Chief, would it be alright with you if I keep a baseball bat around the house? If you will clean up the mess I'll gladly 'Al Capone' any intruders I catch.

[blackdog]

I doubt many of us have homes with rooms larger than 75 feet in length or width. I use spreader loads from Orvis. They are for people who just like to aim based on compass position or clock reference right from the hip. At 50 feet, the pattern is about ten feet in diameter. You can't miss.

And FWIW, the blast wave from the shotgun will knock you down even without any pellets. It's a directional Flash Bang device with the added bonus of being lethal.

[FormerRep]

Depends on the choke of the barrel. The effective distance for even open-choke is plenty for indoors work.

[SW6906]

"How far away can you be with a shotgun and still hit your target?"

Depends on your aim and the shotgun. Also depends on how worked up you are at the time.

My shotgun has been converted to "home defense/crowd control mode". It has the shortest legal barrel, plug removed so it holds the maximum number of shells, pistol grip instead of the stock for my right hand, pistol grip on the slide for my left hand, and a six shell holder attached to the side for six more rounds at the ready.

I figure I can hit and disable somebody at just about any distance I'm going to encounter within my house....

[Blood of Tyrants]

Note to Mr. DeMar: Go to the range and practice. That way you can guarantee that this SOB will NEVER get the chance to go from burglary to rape and kidnapping and murder.

[bc2]

Inside of your home you should be able to hit anyone with a 12 guage shotgun. Even in the dark. You're at the top of the stairs, you hear a noise from downstairs... point, click, boom.

repeat as neccessary.

I would not recommend 00 buckshot for urban, suburban or family environments. 00 buckshot is a very powerful round. I have personally shot my friend's father's Chevy Astro Van with my 12 guage using 2 3/4 inch 00 buckshot and it went right through both sides. Now imagine that compared to plaster or drywall. You're talking about going through several walls if not your whole house. Use birdshot or turkey loads. I think #4 or #6 but I can't recall offhand so someone please fill in this blank for me.

Shotguns are long and bulky so if you're just going to get a shotgun for home defense, make sure it has a short barrel and a folding stock. I personally have a Mossberg 590 (military spec shotgun) with 20" barrel and folding pistol grip stock but they make a 16" version that is nice. The only difference is that you sacrafice 2 extra rounds with the 16" model. Shorter barrels mean more spread at shorter distances but inside your home this shouldn't matter very much.

just my $0.02... someone please fill in my blank about the #'s of turkey or birdshot loads (it's #4 and #6, right??)

[JudgemAll]

The misdemeanors are unlikely to bring jail time. Wilmette Police Chief George Carpenter did not criticize DeMar for protecting his family but said homes are safer without handguns.

Cops just like regular people, have to answer to judges and have to defend themselves. They are not judges of things. And while home firearm possession provides for a positive settlement of homes against unsettling home invaders, cops should be restricted in firearms usage in that theirs is not for cop settlement purposes (that would be corruption), but for carrying judges' orders and settlement of the judicial.

[Littlejon]

Well, it depends on the gun and round. A 12 guage with a 2-1/2" or 2-3/4" .00 buck can still lay a hurt on someone pretty far away.

A few years ago, Mosseberg was marketing a .410 pump shotgun with a shortened barrel for home defense. It kicks a lot less than a 12 guage and was easier to handle for women, supposedly. Hit in the right place, it will do the job just as well as a 12 guage, but I prefer not to take chances at 2:00AM in the dark.

I keep a double-barrel 12 guage in my house with the first chamber loaded with bird shot for warning the perp to get the hell out of my house. (OK, so I hate to think I would actually have to kill someone, so I give them a sporting chance!)

The second chamber is loaded with .00 buck and is specifically for reitterating that I am serious about them leaving my house. Problem is they no longer have a choice as to how that will be after the first round.

[RunningJoke]

I have been consistently successful at 35-50 yds(since I never measured the distance, that's pretty much a guess). Funny, it never occurred to me to do that. I use the shotgun to kill vermin and as protection against bears and possibly any nefarious bipeds that force entry into the Runningjoke compound.

[Henchman]

I agree. As a former LEO, I note that the cops time their arrival to ensure that the criminal is gone...perhaps too many cops are intimidated by liber lawyer suits for doing their jobs. Often police want hand guns limited in the hands of private citizens. It is my belief that this anti citizen stance is to ensure that the cops have a job when they retire as they are the ones who qualify for a permit (e.g. NYC and NY State)

Too often the police forget that they are employees of the citizens - you know Government by the people etc. Police pontificate as if they are the only ones qualified to have a weapon for defense ecause their job demands it - not so - loook at when they arrive. More often they are busy giving out traffic ticket, with hands on guns to intimidate the honetst citizen. I have seen it where the cops do this and three blocks away the drug dealers are going at it. (I gave specifics on this and where people could get their drugs if they wanted - then - a week later the dealers were arrested. Like crooks and roaches, the cops also run fo cover when you turn on the light. I don't blame the foot cop, but the superior officers for putting up with this and the politicians need to have ticket revenue. If a cop takes more than 5 minutes to arrive at en emergency, they should be suspended the first time and fired the next - as well as the supervisor.

[jwalburg]

I think I get the general idea, if not all the details. Thanks.

[ibbryn]

This is a helluva good letter and I am sooooo glad that the homeowner is articulate and willing to stand up for what is right rather than being silent, contrite and hoping to plea bargin away the b.s. charges against him.
Here's hoping he gets more press and continues to make the case for armed citizens.

And while I generally support killing goblins and agree that the guage is the way to go for most social encounters, in this case, with such an articulate homeowner who is willing to speak out, it is good that the perp did not die, as the homeowner can now say he did everything possible to keep his family safe without going overboard (dog, lights, alarm, police called, and then shoots to stop only).

[Halfway Through Life]

As an almost life-long Wilmette resident I can share a few things:

• The vast majority of residents have no interest in guns. In 41 years I've only seen one gun in private hands in Wilmette.

• Growing up we didn't locked our house or car doors -- even at night. That's changed somewhat, but not a lot.

• If your a man, you can walk any where at night and your safe. If your a woman, I assume it's the same as I never have heard of someone being robbed or raped on the streets.

• We are a village with a big minority of economic Republicans that like to get along, and a majority of rich liberals (e.g., a lot of Jews and Northwestern University professors).

• The guy's house is a half block from Lake Michigan -- probably valued at more than 1.5 million, maybe a lot more.

• He lives a block a way from Jack Ryan the Republican, Senate front-runner who's a little squishy on 2nd Ammendment protection.

[uncbob]

Wilmette Police Chief George Carpenter did not criticize DeMar for protecting his family but said homes are safer without handguns.

I am sure the good chief leaves his gun at the station locked in a safe when he goes home at the end of his day

[Whatever_I dont care]

So you don't think this guy's argument will make any headway with the rest of the locals?

[TexasRepublic]

Moral of the story: 1) Move to Texas 2) Use a shotgun 3) Dead burglars don't testify against you in court

[Britton J Wingfield]

He would be FULL OF HOLES

Yeah, claw-holes from savage attack cats.

Just like our new exercise mat, btw.

[Trickyguy]

Wilmette Police Chief George Carpenter did not criticize DeMar for protecting his family but said homes are safer without handguns.

Fire 90% of the police, disarm the other ten percent, arm all the citizens, and crime will drop 75%.

[XHogPilot]

PING

[U S Army EOD]

I think the Mossberg home defense shotgun is stil made. You can get OOO buckshot for it which is 3 .41 cal balls. It also has a recoil eleminator on it. I bought one for a friend and played around with it. It is an excellent weapon.

For myself, I have the New Ruger 44 mag carbine. It only holds 5 rounds but you can put in another magazine. I perfer it over a pistol.

Actually a good weapon also is an SKS with the bayonet still attached. There is just something about looking at a bayonet that bothers people. I would suspect that a good machine shop could rig up any carbine or rifle with a workable bayonet. Don't laugh, think about it, would you want to face a home owner who was going to either shoot you or stick you?

[U S Army EOD]

When I lived in Maryland, a woman's home in Batimore was broken into and she was attacked by two men, but not for long. Her simese came to the rescue and put both men in the hospital and then jail.

[U S Army EOD]

After you disable them, they should be a lot easier to hit with the next three or four shots.

[Littlejon]

An ex-girlfriend's dad bought an SKS way back when we were dating. Ugly as heck, but I was surprised at how accurate the thing actually was. He paid $100.00 for it brand new (several years ago, but cheap even then!) and used it to deer hunt in heavy brush areas where he didn't want to risk scuffing up his .300 mag. I can imagine seeing a bayonet poointed at you would make you think twice about charging!

Glad to hear Mossberg is still making that .410. I thought it was a good idea then and still do!

[U S Army EOD]

They make a neat video tape that comes with the shotgun. If you know a gun dealer that has these in stock, he may let you see the tape.

[montag813]

Wilmette Police Chief George Carpenter did not criticize DeMar for protecting his family but said homes are safer without handguns.

This is exactly why no one should give two sh*ts about what law enforcement has to say about firearms, gun-control, concealed carry, or anything else to do with guns.

What an imbicile this "Chief" is. Is it better to lay down our guns and give up all our possessions? Where the hell were the Wilmette Police to protect this family? MIA. Next time a politican cites law enforcement support for a gun-control law, you tell them that the cops are full of sh*t.

[freepatriot32]

[Britton J Wingfield]

I've read a few stories like that, and every time it's a siamese breed. Those are aggressive little buggers.

[Britton J Wingfield]

'Surefire' flashlights have a bezel attachment that is basically a big serrated blade that runs arounf the rim of the light. If you have one mounted on the end of your weapon it makes a nice CQB slicer/dicer.

Not the same visual deterrent as a bayonette, though.

[supercat]

If the guy had an expired FOID in his possession, a literal reading of the statutes would indicate that his possession of the firearm within his domicile was not in violation of the FOID statute; the statute dealing with transportation of firarms (the "Unlawful Use of Weapon" statute) explicitly states that one must possess a currently-valid FOID, but the FOID statute which applies within one's dwelling does not require that the FOID be current--merely that it have previously been issued by the State Police to the possessor of the firearms.