Every day in America heroes and ‘Good Samaritans’ use guns
IF there is to be a debate over guns, stories like this should be included in it. In one Flagstaff branch of the Arizona Central Credit Union, three men stopped a bank robbery. The Arizona Sun reports.
The paper says the “Good Samaritan” was Flagstaff resident Dave Young. He spotted his friend, Michael Pileggi, holding a woman. Chase Pileggi, Michael’s son, was trying to stop a man as he jumped over a fence. The man and the woman escaped. Young was in his car. He drove after the pair.
Young caught up with the pair nearby and watched as Chase tackled the man. The younger Pileggi got the man in a hold and Young placed his hand on his sidearm, showing the suspect that he was armed. He did not pull his gun.
“I provided cover for him. If the suspect had tried to pull a weapon I could have stopped him,” Young said. “I told him don’t move. I looked him over for weapons and visually inspected the suspect, then called 911″…
Young said he doesn’t believe he’s a superhero, but he said as an able-bodied person, he feels duty-bound to help protect his community…
The story adds:
In the wake of last week’s Newtown, Conn. school shooting, which claimed the lives of 28 people, Young said he wants the community to know that responsible gun owners exist and can have a positive impact.
“As soon as I leave work, my pistol is at my side, and it doesn’t leave my side unless I’m about to go into a place that doesn’t allow it… Would you feel better if you were shot with a 10-round magazine instead of 30? If criminals are going to have them, responsible citizens should be able to have them.”
The police having them doesn’t stop the criminals having them. Might it encourage it?
Back in August, a Florida woman was hailed as a hero:
A Garden Grove, California, jewelry store owner thwarted an armed robbery with a handgun on Sunday and sent masked robbers scurrying for their lives. A surveillance video shows the gutsy 65-year-old woman with gun in hand chasing the would-be robbers outside. The incident sends a strong message to the criminal element – engage in unlawful and threatening behavior at your peril. Instead of cowering in fear and allowing thugs to run rampant, more small business owners should follow the senior citizen’s example.
The language is of the armed being heroes.
This months, before the Sandy Hook massacre:
Heroic AutoZone Employee Fired for Using Gun to Thwart Armed Robbery
Devin McClean never thought that saving his boss’s life would cost him his job … but it did. McClean and his manager were getting ready to close a Virginia AutoZone shop when a gunman burst in and forced the manager to open the store’s safe.
McClean was able to sneak outside, grab a gun from his truck. He was able to scare off the robber, quite possibly saving his boss’s life.
Shockingly, McClean was subsequently fired by corporate brass because he re-entered the story with his personal weapon, which is a violation of company policy.
So. What to do?
Glenn Reynolds:
“When people say things like ‘don’t let this moment pass without acting on gun control,’ what they’re really saying is our arguments are so unpersuasive that they can only succeed when people aren’t thinking clearly.”
Is there time to think? Do we need laws for behaviour to change?
Posted: 19th, December 2012 | In: Reviews Comments (2) | TrackBack | Permalink
