Gun statistics you seldom see

Orange County Register ^ | March 23, 2008 | GORDON DILLOW

[neverdem]

If someone breaks into your home, and you have a justifiable fear that he might kill or harm you or someone else, you have a right to defend yourself with lethal force.

It was the sort of incident that never makes it into the official crime statistics – that is, an incident in which a crime may have been prevented by a firearm.

It happened earlier this month in Irvine. Police were looking for a man suspected of raping an 18-year-old woman in her home. As the cops searched, the fleeing suspect, a 27-year-old L.A. gang member, tried to hide by breaking into another home. Inside, the homeowner, a man who had recently undergone defensive firearms training, heard the commotion, grabbed a handgun and confronted the suspect.

The homeowner didn't shoot the alleged rapist, although legally he almost certainly could have. If someone breaks into your home, and you have a justifiable fear that he might kill or harm you or someone else, you have a right to defend yourself with lethal force.

But as I said, the homeowner – for security reasons, he declined to be interviewed or identified by name – didn't shoot. Instead, he shouted at the suspect to stop, at which point the guy ran out of the house. Shortly thereafter he was caught and arrested by the police.

"The homeowner took the appropriate safety steps," Irvine Police Lt. Rick Handfield told me. "And he had had some firearms training, which is an important part of gun ownership."

But did the homeowner's use of a gun prevent another crime from occurring – perhaps an assault on the homeowner or his family? Or would the suspect, who turned out to be unarmed, have fled when confronted by the homeowner, gun or no gun? The police can't definitively...

[ClearCase_guy]

Varies by state, I believe. In MA, if a gang-banger breaks into your home and if you are in fear of your life, I think you are obligated to flee if at all possible. Pulling a gun on the guy who may be about to kill you, can get you into hot water with the local authorities.

[rellimpank]

-—good post—and surprising to be in a California publication-—

[GeorgiaDawg32]

2 things:

1) When seconds count between life and death, the police are only minutes away, and

2) Better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6

[Paleo Conservative]

In Texas, this story would have had a happier ending.

[MtnClimber]

I had the same thing happen in Florida. Home invader broke the front door in. Initially he charged toward me, but he ran when he saw I had a gun.

[Lancey Howard]

(( ping ))

[Just another Joe]

Pulling a gun on the guy who may be about to kill you, can get you into hot water with the local authorities.

Rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6.
I do understand the thrust of your post though.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

The gangbanger would have been playing poker with Mao and Hitler had he broke into my home.

[fr_freak]

-—good post—and surprising to be in a California publication-—

Orange County was once a conservative bastion of California. Whether they still are, I couldn't say. However, one of the reasons that California, for all of its reputation for being run by hippies (a fairly well-deserved reputation), has not fallen as far as some smaller states, like MA, is because there is a large California heartland which is still conservative. It is LA, SF and the coastline in between that is left-wing as it gets. The big valley and the mountains are full of people who are pretty much as conservative as the rest of the sane parts of the country, so the hippies have had to work slowly to push their agenda past them, rather than just ramming it through.

[Red6]

The statistics of rapes prevented, robberies stopped, etc. seldom make the news and even individual events such as a store or homeowner protecting themselves seldom get the attention they deserve.

[Sigurdrifta]

My daughter (Marine) lives in San Diego. Seems to still be pretty conservative to me. Of course it’s all relative, and compared to SF, anything would seem to be conservative.

[PeterFinn]

Massachussetts is quite the anachronism, it is the birthplace of the Second Amendment and they utterly ignore their birthright.

[TexasRepublic]

In Texas, this story would have had a happier ending.

If my dogs don't finish him, I will.

[Ramius]

I think you are obligated to flee if at all possible.

I googled around a bit and it appears that MA does have a "castle doctrine" law. I'm not sure when they got it.

[InsensitiveConservative]

The OC is a hold out of conservatives so the OC Register’s report isn’t surprising. However, had that appeared in the LA Times up would be down, down would be up and there would be rioting in the streets. ;)

[xp38]

And one of them would be the founder of this website.

[Sans-Culotte]

Yep, here in Houston, my wife and I would both probably have shot til we ran out of ammo.

[DoughtyOne]

Nice commentary. He presented this is terms even a gun hater could understand, if it were them in their home with an intruder standing down the hall.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Pulling a gun on the guy who may be about to kill you, can get you into hot water with the local authorities.

Especially if the firearm isn't properly registered. Then it's one year in prison. Mandatory.

Gad, I hate this state.