It is the best of times and the worst of times for the everyday American citizen. More states recognize our rights to defend ourselves. Unfortunately, a few states deny the right of armed self defense, and there, the list of victims continues to mount. Do you see the pattern here?
— In Los Angeles, California, a woman walked past the laundry room in her apartment complex. She asked a homeless person to step out of the laundry room. She was beaten and sexually assaulted by the homeless person. Of course, she was unarmed. She lives in an upscale section of Los Angeles where only bodyguards and the politically connected are granted the privilege of armed self-defense.
— Dinah Burns was walking her dog in Lancaster, Ohio. Two young white men came out of the woods along her path. One of them held a baseball bat and said she was coming with them. Dinah Burns was licensed to carry a concealed gun, but she’d only recently started taking her weapon while walking her dog. The two men were not afraid of her dog, but they fled back into the woods after she drew her handgun and pointed it at them.
— A clerk in a Houston, Texas convenience store knew too many clerks who’d been robbed. He knew too many clerks who were shot even though they gave all their money to the thieves. That is why this clerk applied for and obtained his concealed carry license. One day, a white Lincoln Town Car pulled up next to his store. A robber got out of the Town Car and demanded money from the clerk at gun point. The clerk shot the thief. The get-away driver in the Town Car fled before the thief could leave the store. The thief was taken to the hospital in serious condition. The clerk was uninjured.
— In Atlantic County, New Jersey, a motorist was stopped for a minor traffic violation. She was license to carry a concealed weapon. The license was issued by Philadelphia, but the Pennsylvania license isn’t recognized in New Jersey. She now faces up to 11 and a half years in a New Jersey state prison because she traveled through New Jersey with her firearm. She had no previous criminal record and spent 46 days in jail before she could make bail.
Some 42 states and the US territory of Guam allow their citizens to protect themselves in public with a firearm. The resulting pattern is simple. The unarmed citizen is preyed upon by criminals. In some states, the armed citizen is preyed upon by government.
It is the best of times and the worst of times for the right of armed self-defense.
Image: http://criminallawperiod9.wikispaces.com/Chapter+11+-+Defenses
