Posted on 08/29/2019 3:38:23 PM PDT by Mr. Mojo
A 19th-century adage goes something like this: God made man, but Samuel Colt made them equal. Colt, of course, was the man behind the first successful revolver.
Daniel McGown wasnt carrying one of Mr. Colts first models. However, he certainly managed to show one home invader why over a century and a half after that bromide was coined, a firearm is still the greatest equalizer of all.
According to WEWS-TV, McGown, 73, heard a commotion at his house in Akron, Ohio, a little after 5 a.m. Tuesday.
McGown told officers someone rang the doorbell several times. He then heard a voice inside his house.
Thats when the grandfather grabbed for the equalizer tucked away under his pillow: a 9mm pistol. He then made his way from the second-floor bedroom to the living room on the first floor, where he found the home invader.
I pointed the pistol at him and said, If you dont move, I wont shoot you,' McGown said.
He said, Dont shoot me.'
McGown then had to get the intruder upstairs, since he realized he left his cellphone there. He told the man to walk ahead of him as they went to the bedroom.
I told him, Youre going to walk ahead of me and were going to go upstairs where I can get my cellphone and call the police, and he said, Please do call the police. Please dont shoot me,' McGown said.
I told him to get down on his knees in the front of the bed, lay down on it with his arms out, and I called police and they showed up and here he was, he said.
McGown had been robbed recently while he wasnt home; laptops, guns and ammunition were taken.
While that property hasnt been recovered yet, at least McGowns latest intruder was taken into custody by police.
Thomas Gaffney, 51, faces a charge of second-degree burglary in the incident. Fox News reported that (surprise, surprise) he was also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia.
Police are trying to determine whether he was involved in the first burglary as well, according to the Columbus Dispatch. Police Capt. Dave Laughlin also said officers are investigating 10 other break-ins at other homes and businesses in the area over the last eight or nine weeks.
As for McGown, he said he wasnt adrenaline-fueled when he confronted the home invader.
My home was being violated and here was a guy doing it in my presence. Heres the guy, and I just wanted to make him stop doing that, McGown said.
They picked the wrong house.
And that they did. McGown is a concealed carry permit holder and managed to defend himself and his domicile against someone who clearly shouldnt have been there. He said he was prepared to shoot.
If he had reached his hand towards a pocket or something where I thought he might have had one of the guns that went away last night or the night before, I might have been tempted to do that, he said. But Im glad it didnt come to that.
Yet, what would have been the case without a gun? Seventy-three is usually a lot different from 51 in terms of physical ability, after all. Would he have gotten beaten? Would this have ended up with McGown in the hospital or worse?
We dont know, of course. What we do know is instead going to the hospital, McGown went back to sleep after the burglar was taken away by police.
How could he sleep after something like that?
Im 73 years old, I can sleep almost anytime, he said with a laugh.
Sleep well, Mr. McGown. Sleep well.
Ahhhh..... a good gun story.
This news will not be broadcast by the mainstream media.
"Doan shoot me 'n all 'cause I was jus' hongry, that's it....
Disparity of force.
Further you only have to believe your life is in danger.
Im going to steal his line, if you dont move, I wont shoot you.
Conveys real meaning beyond the usual.
“...Disparity of force. Further you only have to believe your life is in danger...”
Depends on the state’s laws.
Here? IF I caught someone inside my house, uninvited, especially at night....hell, yeah my life, and the life of my family, is in danger. They’d get the same exact treatment as in this story, or be swiss-cheesed instantly should they make a wrong move...it would be solely their choice. They need to choose wisely if they want to keep wasting God’s good air.
Which has nothing to do with keeping and bearing arms in your own home. Nice work by the "journalist."
McGown had been robbed recently while he wasnt home;
That's called being burglarized, not robbed.
That one is really dumb. Probably not politically motivated though as I suspect the “CCW” mention was.
If I had turned in a paper like that in the 5th grade my teacher would have dinged me on both of those things. But that was a long time ago.
He has more restraint than I believe I would have.
I am known to frequently fear for my life, fear for my life, fear for my life.... mmmmmm fear for my life.
I never saw a snake that didn’t need a good killin.
And since when is 73, “old”?? ;)
Good thing it wasn’t his garage. Half of FR would be rooting for the perp.
Remarkable this dude has made it to 51.
Wow. That’s a pretty cr@ppy house for an attorney. Just sayin.
When you are not in Congress or an elite.
We old geezers still have some surprises for the bad guys, usually loaded too.
Yup. Dunno when it came out, but this little ditty is still popular:
Fear no man, what 'eer his size
Just call on me, I'll equalize
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