Minister of Defense: Pastor joins many toting guns to cope with meaner streets

Memphis Commercial-Appeal ^ | 7/18/2003 | Sherri Drake

[07055]

Rev. Louis Brenton is armed everywhere he goes, sometimes with the Bible but always with a Glock 23.

"I occasionally have to walk into some situations that are a little iffy," said the pastor of East Side Cumberland Presbyterian Church on South Prescott.

Brenton said carrying a gun makes him feel more at ease in Memphis. He's prepared to defend himself if he is ever attacked.

Cassandra Holland, 32, knows that feeling, too. The Loomis Fargo & Co. employee was robbed at gunpoint in 2000.

"Every time I went to sleep, I'd see that gun in my face," she said. "So, I said, 'No more.' "

If it happens again, she said, she's not afraid to pull the .32-caliber pistol she just bought. "I'm ready," she said. "If you come in my house and I don't know who you are, I'll fire on you."

With the recent wave of armed robberies and home invasions, many are weighing the decision to carry a gun.

But officials say packing a pistol is nothing to toy with.

"Anytime you have a rash of crimes like we've been having in Memphis and Shelby County people just get scared," said Sheriff's Lt. James Windland. "They panic and are in fear and just want some type of protection."

For those who decide to carry a gun, the most important thing is to be well-trained and prepared for the consequences, said Windland, who runs the sheriff's pistol range.

Gun shop owners say men and women, from 21 to 91, come into the stores ready to face those consequences.

"These are huge decisions to make," said Chris Fowler, a Top Brass owner. "I tell them when they come in: 'If you decide to carry a gun, you will use it. And if you use it as we have instructed, you're going to take a life. Is that OK with you?' "

If it's not OK, they need to walk right back out the door, he said.

Those who choose to carry a gun, Fowler says, need an eight-hour training course to get a permit and the right mindset.

You must be prepared to react rationally in an irrational situation, said Brenton, who got his permit through RangeMaster. To save you or your family members, you must be willing to take your attacker's life.

But some say carrying a gun threatens the lives of family members, rather than protecting them.

"Anytime you rely on a mechanical object to defend yourself, you increase your chances of being a victim," said Mike Beard, president of the Washington-based Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.

Everyone thinks he's more equipped than he really is, he said.

"They do it in the movies," he said. "John Wayne looks left and shoots right and the bad guy falls down. But it just doesn't happen like that."

Beard said he tells people to take a self-defense course or use other objects to ward off attackers. "Just think of all the things you can do with a pool cue," he said.

[07055]

This moron thinks you are incapable of warding off an armed bad guy with a gun---but can do it with a pool cue!? He's the one who has been watching too many Hollywood movies.

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[CONSERVE]

"Just think of all the things you can do with a pool cue," he said.

Just think of how well you can conceal a pool cue.What a idiot!

[Atlas Sneezed]

Bang

[Lion Den Dan]

said Sheriff's Lt. James Windland. "They panic and are in fear and just want some type of protection."

Fear, yes: Panic, no. These folks are making a rational decision and taking steps for their own protection.

Beard said he tells people to take a self-defense course or use other objects to ward off attackers. "Just think of all the things you can do with a pool cue,"

It frightens me to think of all the things you can do with a pool cue. However, if you attack me with a pool cue, I will shoot the daylights out of you with a gun. When I am done shooting you, I will consider what to do with your pool cue.

[wideawake]

I nominate Mike Beard for 2003 Dumbass of the Year.

[Lion Den Dan]

bump/pingo/boom

[wunderkind54]

It's depressing to read the pap some of these liberals such as Mike Beard spew.

"Use a pool cue" and your attacker will flee. Oh, please!!

Maybe I will just shove a lit cigarette in his face and hope he is a budding nannyist liberal who recoils from the evil tobacco. A Big Mac would do just as well.

Granted my analogies are rather stretched, but so is the logic put forth by our buddy Mike.

[07055]

"If you use a pea shooter and hit the armed bad guy in the eye, he will get discouraged and run away."

Mike Beard

[SLB]

Kind of like the old adage - never take a knife to a a gund fight. Never take a pool cue to a gun fight. I might even hesitate to take a pool cue to a knife fight.

[Squantos]

http://stingerpengun.com/knifegun.htm

I have a new toy ! I got tired of the never bring a knife to a gunfight thang ...........:o)

Stay safe !!

[SLB]

If you read closely I didn't say gun fight it was a "gund" fight. I am suffering from stubby finger syndrom.

[07055]

Actually, this was a pretty good article from this liberal rag. And I think the reporter, while needing to quote a gun grabber to make the story "balanced," meant to sabotage what Beard had to say but using that ludicrous pool cue statement.

[csvset]

Gotta Get a Gund

Hmmmm... They did find a .22 inside of a toy bear the other day.

[amadeus]

My secretary and I (both Hangun Permit holders) were laughing about this article in our paper this morning. Other than the pool cue comment, I laughed at the comment about real life not being like John Wayne looking left while shooting right. Once again, a pro-victim weenie doesn't have his facts right. He should attend some of the shooting events I've attended. Some of those guys can look left and shoot right (accurately), shoot blindfolded,and even shoot backwards. The quoted fool doesn't even know simple gun history. Ever heard of the wild west shows? It continues to amaze me how ignorant these people are.

[opus86]

"They panic and are in fear and just want some type of protection."

This statement bugs me. This cop's implication is that people go off and irrationally buy guns. I'm sure some do, but I wouldn't say that's true for most prospective gun owners.

[SLB]

Depends on what rational you use.

Food or gun? Gun might win out.

[Squantos]

I'm not one of the grammar-spelling nazis.....so I didn't jump up and down and have a cat over it. I can't even blame some of my goofs on big thumbs ........:o)

Stay Safe !

[SWO]

Apparently the three paragraphs following the one immediately below didn’t make it into the post. I’ve taken the liberty of adding them below.

Anytime you have a rash of crimes like we've been having in Memphis and Shelby County people just get scared," said Sheriff's Lt. James Windland. "They panic and are in fear and just want some type of protection."
"To prove how silly that is I've long made a habit of not carrying my gun off duty. I don't need it and I don't care who knows about it." said the Lt as he climbed into his blue Ford Taurus, license TN 1234ABCD.
“I agree with my good friend Mike Beard, president of the Washington-based Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, carrying a gun threatens the lives of family members, rather than protecting them.” Leaning out the car window he went on, “Mike said it best when he remarked, ‘Anytime you rely on a mechanical object to defend yourself, you increase your chances of being a victim,’"
"Now if you’ll excuse me, after a hard day in the police department press office, I can't wait to get back to the wife and kids and my safe gun free suburban home.” When asked if he had a pool cue in his home the Lt coyly replied, “That would be telling.” as he headed off to his family home at 5678 EFGH Road, Greater Memphis, TN.