There’s an interesting case unfolding in southern Maryland. As can be imagined, most fall into one of two camps – supporting one point of view or the other – in this particular case.
It started in Prince George’s County, which is roughly east and south of Washington D.C. As far as counties go, “PG County” (local slang), is unique in that it is one of the wealthiest counties in the United States and it features a majority African American population. For those with familiarity of the region, PG County is sort of the black version of lily white Montgomery County northwest of D.C.
Aside from serving as a bedroom community for federal employees that work inside the beltway, PG County is home to Andrews Air Force Base and Air Force One, Two, Three, and so on. Much of the county is well to do and consists of comfortable and safe neighborhoods. The closer one gets to D.C. of course, the neighborhoods become less comfortable and less safe – there are communities in PG County little different than the adjacent Southeast Washington and Anacostia D.C. neighborhoods in terms of crime rate.
A man living in PG County one night noticed another man outside attempting to either steal his car or things in his car. This happened in a not so nice area of PG County. The man went into his home, grabbed his gun, and killed the would be thief.
Many in Maryland support the guy for doing what he had to do to protect his own property. Some have gone on to speculate, had the thief been armed, what would have happened if he didn’t stop at car theft. What if he had broken into the car to make sure it was ready to go as a getaway vehicle. What if he had gone inside the house and committed violent crimes against the residents? That argument is lost on many other Marylanders who view things differently.
They believe under no circumstance should a property owner use deadly force to confront a thief. They see it as immoral and as over-reach on the part of the individual. Those that fall into this camp believe that the sole acceptable response to someone committing a property crime on one’s own property is to call 911. This is where things get especially instructive:
– Note that calling the government for help is viewed as the lone, sole, acceptable response to a crime in progress.
– Note that an individual asserting his or her own rights is viewed as immoral.
– By the way, aren’t these the same types of people that just a few months ago were kneeling with Black Lives Matter, complaining that police were racist, and insisting that police departments were overly militarized?
In other words, even as a criminal is prowling around your bedroom window devising evil right before your eyes, you are supposed to hoist up the victim flag and defer your own well-being and that of those with you to the government. Specifically, that arm of the government we’ve been told roam the streets at night hunting black men in armored vehicles packed with more firepower than an assault squad from Seal Team Six.
You are welcome to side with whichever camp suits you. As for me, once the safety clicks off the only shot a thug will hear will absolutely not be a warning shot.
Image: Excerpted from: By Jan Jacobsen – http://www.worldpeace.no/THE-WHITE-FLAG.htm, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3601988
