How do you win a Bronze Star? I guess the writer won the jackpot when he got the job.
A complete tragedy! Prayers for the family!
Verbal commands and a good tac light would have prevented this.
I can’t believe that it took TWO pixies from journalism school to write this piece of crap. The victim was “gunned down”? Gimme a break. Somebody has been watching to much TVLand.
How awful.
I am sorry but nobody knows for certain what another person will or won’t do if you shoot them first.
This law is written in an incredibly assinine way, if it was explained correctly by the propagandist journalist.
Did the idiot ask who was there?
If he knew his daughter was out, what, did he forget her name?
Sorry. Trigger happy moron. All for defending your property, but you start by yelling a warning at least.
Sad. RIP.
Not being there and knowing exactly what happened - prayers go out to this family and father...and I’m not relying on this article to tell the rest of us each and every detail...basically, I’m not judging the father in this tragedy off of this politically motivated article promoting the anti-gun position...
Well, shooting his wife’s daughter dead is probably going to play hob with the marriage.
(A sad story. And I really hate the term, “Make my Day” law. As if any rational person takes pleasure in killing another person.)
I almost did the same thing myself.
Shortly after I married my wife she woke me and told me she heard someone downstairs. .
There should have been no one else home because both step kids had gone to spend the night with friends.
I grabbed my Colt 1911 and went down stairs. The light in the stepson’s room was on. I pulled back the hammer on my Colt and spoke in a loud firm voice “Is that you Eric?”
He stepped out of his room and turned a whiter shade of pale as he stared down the barrel of a loaded firearm and a stern faced stepfather.
I really didn’t think it would be Eric because it was after midnight and the dead of winter. He had walked home 3 miles in about 15 degree temperatures in a light coat. I thought he was smarter than that. But since then he has proved me wrong again and again.
I know this is easy for me to say at this point but I think The old rule of “Identifying your target” applies here.
I see this as a time for sorrow. Of course there are reasons to question what happened, but gee whiz folks, take a chill pill. However misguided the step-dad’s actions, I don’t think for a moment he thought he was shooting his step-daughter. That loss would certainly put his whole life in jeopardy, his relations with the rest of the family, and possible criminal charges on top of that.
What guy would choose this eventuality?
I am very saddened by what took place, and my sympathy goes out to this family. They need all they can get right now.
Tragic situation.
But the media is exploiting it to advance their anti-gun agenda.
We hardly ever hear of lives saved by people who shot or scared away criminals trying to break into their homes to murder them.
Good Lord.
I think I can protect my property without shooting my family.
IDENTIFY the target!
Sorry but decorated veteran or not,the stepfather made a really stupid decision.Now his stepdaughter is dead,he probably SHOULD be prosecuted,his marriage is likely over,and he has given “ammunition” to those who say the average person can’t be trusted with guns.
The rare ,and entirely preventable, mistaken identity killings of family members is ALWAYS the fault of the shooter who failed to properly exercise “gun sense” and shot at motion or shadow without identifying if there even was a threat.It really doesn’t matter whether the boy or girl is shot trying to sneak in or out,or coming from the bathroom or an unauthorized midnight snack in the darkened kitchen. IF YOU CAN’T POSITIVELY IDENTIFY THE NOISE OR MOTION AS A THREAT DON’T SHOOT.
As an aside,I am so tired of the mindset that just because someone has been in military service they are automatically better than those who weren’t.There have always been a sampling of all types in uniform and that means a few fools,slackers,con artists,thieves, addicts, and even murderers, as well as the great majority just doing a job and the true heroes.
A girl was going into her house and her step dad killed her. The only question is what should the punishment be for the killer. Some jail time at least I’d say.
Horrible. No one should even consider armed home defense without having adequate lighting, optics, cameras and/or other ways of identifying someone outside or inside of a residence. And if no one is attacking or breaking in, a resident should hold his or her fire.
Many people are not acting sanely. Young folks sometimes sneak around neighborhoods while playing at night. That’s no reason to get hysterical and shoot them. Police, sometimes answering calls of burglaries in progress, will cross property lines in the dark. Residents should be aware of who is out there and whether or not they’re agressors against the residents before using violence.
The anti-gunners will use every opportunity and tragic events such as this to try and overturn stand your ground and castle doctrine laws. I’m sick of hearing the term “make my day law.” These laws don’t mean you can shoot or kill someone without consequences.