If that were me, I probably would have just called the police department first and let them handle it. If they were illegal aliens, they probably would have run away when the cops showed up. And, he probably could have conveyed his message by just brandishing his rifle instead of actually shooting it where he could have killed somebody for loitering on his lawn.
Dumbass prosecutor.
What the hell is an “assault-style rifle”?
I'd have fired ONCE into the ground directly in front of the approaching fighter. The next shot would have found a much softer target...
Call the cops and wait for them to come thru the front door. Firing bullets into the air can kill someone else.
“Shannon Smith had been an award-winning athlete and honor student, and had graduated from the eighth grade a few weeks prior to her death. While standing in her backyard and talking on the telephone with a friend, a stray bullet hit her in her head, causing instant death. Smith’s death sparked a furor among Arizona residents. Her funeral was attended by approximately 1,300 mourners.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shannon%27s_law_%28Arizona%29
http://www.azleg.state.az.us/ars/13/03107.htm
"Get off my lawn!"
Call 911 and Die
http://www.amazon.com/Dial-911-Die-Richard-Stevens/dp/0964230445/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1283914961&sr=1-1
One of the most basic rules of marksmanship is know what you are shooting at and be sure of your backstop (what your bullet will hit if you miss or your bullet goes through your target).
If you are shooting in the air you have know idea what you are shooting at or where your bullet will eventually come to rest.
I have read of many tragedies caused by hunters and shooters who did not follow these two simple rules.
I agree this man had the right to defend his home but he did recklessly fire his rifle in the air. He may be guilty of reckless endangerment of his neighbors.
And wait 40 minutes for the cops to show up?
Totally Awesome Guns and Range commercial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAyJhnrCQFw
George Grier said he had to use his rifle on Sunday night to stop what he thought was going to be an invasion of his Uniondale home by a gang he thought might have been the vicious “MS-13.” He said the whole deal happened as he was about to drive his cousin home.
“I went around and went into the house, ran upstairs and told my wife to call the police. I get the gun and I go outside and I come into the doorway and now, by this time, they are in the driveway, back here near the house. I tell them, you know, ‘Can you please leave?’ Grier said.
Grier said the five men dared him to use the gun; and that their shouts brought another larger group of gang members in front of his house.
“He starts threatening my family, my life. ‘Oh you’re dead. I’m gonna kill your family and your babies. You’re dead.’ So when he says that, 20 others guys come rushing around the corner. And so I fired four warning shots into the grass,” Grier said.
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2010/09/07/long-island-man-arrested-for-defending-home-with-ak-47/
Wasn't that the point he was making?
One more reason down here we say Southern by the Grace of God!
I don’t live far from the scene of the incident, and from what our local papers are saying the mob on the man’s lawn were hispanic gang members. From photos, Mr. Grier is a black man. The town of Uniondale is primarily black and hispanic and is not a very nice place. In the last 25 years or so, the area has become very crime ridden. The papers do not say why these gang members were on Grier’s lawn in the first place, but it seems terrible that a homeowner cannot protect his own domicile from harm. I did not know that Long Island would consider Grier’s action criminal. Can’t wait to leave this place.
Warning shots are for idiots that saw too many movies.
This guy did a few very stupid things. He showed a weapon before one was, strictly speaking, necessary, hoping it would talk for him, thus telegraphing fear. He fired 4 “warning” shots into the ground after being challenged by a punk who correctly assessed that he was afraid of using the gun. He fired a shot into the air.
Guns are very serious things; when a man points one he ought to mean it. Guns aren’t made for negotiation.
They're for use AFTER the warnings have failed.
This guy’s mistake was going outside.
1) Call police.
2) Close and lock all doors and windows.
3) Wait.
4) If perps enter,shoot to kill.
Never go outside with a weapon in the case of home defence.
It's all fun and games - till the cops show up.....
What the guy did was dumb — but I’m not sure it should be considered illegal. Oh, it may be on the books up North, but it probably shouldn’t be.
If someone was on my lawn who shouldn’t be, I’d politely ask them to leave. If they refused, I’d call the police and remain inside — with my weapons loaded and ready — until they arrived. If the trouble-makers left after the police gave them notice, so be it.
If the trouble-makers returned later, I would notify the police again, and I would tell the police that there would not be a third call — this time they’d better STAY gone and not TRESPASS on my property again (trespassing is a CRIME and CAN be prosecuted). I would then expect the Police to come and either run off the trouble-makers with assurances they would never return, or otherwise arrest them if they got smart.
If they returned again, someone would be picking up trach from my lawn. It runs in the family though. My Grandpa had to shoot a man for trespassing in his front yard, and my Dad had to put a brick thru the truck door of a guy who was joy-riding in our front yard when I was a kid. The cops got him later — after a friend did a little detective work the cops wouldn’t have bothered to do.
Depending on the police to defend your property is foolish — but so is acting rashly and tossing bullets around without clear provocation and obvious danger to life and property. Use common sense — if you’re not stupid, you’ll likely be okay — or at least make correct decisions if you’re confronted with bad situations.