Friday, September 30, 2011

Rant: Self Defense

I'd have thought this article would have come from the local bird cage liner, but it seems I was a bit too quick on the trigger.  WTOL News 11, Toledo's self-proclaimed news leader advocates we all surrender meekly to villains, burglars and thieves in the hope that the criminals will let us alone.  Here's a link to the article: Violent crimes in Toledo rising, police say residents need plan

I have a plan, thank you so much for your consideration.  Here's the part that causes my blood pressure to rise.


Everyone who has read my diatribes before knows I'm a gun owner and solid supporter of the Second Amendment.  Those who didn't know that I support the 2A now do.  I also support castle doctrine law, meaning that each person has a right to stand and defend themselves by use of whatever force that person deems necessary.  Now we'll get along to the article.

Toledo Police claim that violent crime is on the rise, and they are probably right.  What gets right on my very last nerve is that the government does not want us, The Great Unwashed, defending ourselves.

Here are a few quotes from the article as made by Lt. David Schmidt who is with the Toledo Police Property Division:

First he [Lt. David Schmidt - MJ] says keep all doors and windows closed and locked, even on a nice night. He advises placing sound makers or alarms on each window or installing an alarm system all together.
If a burglar does get in your home, Lt. Schmidt says always keep a phone at arm's length so you can call 911. He says avoid confrontation.
"Get out. Don't get trapped in your house," said Lt. Schmidt.
So if the noise makers don't scare away the bad guy, I'm supposed to flee from my own home?  This is outrageous.  Your home, be it a palace on Pennsylvania Avenue or a cardboard box on Cocaine Alley, is your castle.  It's your refuge and that concept is protected by the Bill of Rights.  The idea of being driven from your home by a violent criminal is repugnant, but having the government, particularly the law enforcement branch of the government, advocate that idea goes beyond the pale.

WTOL barely mentions that you have the right to defend your home from invasion, and little wonder.  WTOL is afraid of offending the anti-freedom Moonbats.  Here's the one-liner:

And according to Ohio state law, every homeowner has the right to use force to protect themselves and their property.

Nice, huh? Rewritten so as to be in keeping with the anti-freedom advocates at WTOL, this should read: By the way, not to sound like we advocate self-defense or anything, but there's a nasty rumor circulating that Ohio State law says something somewhere about using force of some sort to protect yourself and your property.

"You should always be prepared. Have a rough idea of what you're going to do," said Lt. Schmidt.
Be prepared is right.  I have a little more than a rough idea about just what I'd do with a home invader.

Early Warning System
Here's my early warning system and first line of defense.  Note the nice white teeth.  He's a proven quantity, and any box of dog biscuits that gets through the door is fair game.

Betsy
Betsy is also a proven quantity, the design having seen several wars and any number of skirmishes.  She'll eat anything I can fit in the clip.

What really pisses me off here is the part about not getting trapped in your own home.  Trapped in my own home?!  It's my home.  It's where I live.

Calling nine-one-one is fine as far as it goes, but even when you get past the emergency operator and dispatch systems the police are still going to be minutes away.  Police know this and they wish it wasn't so, but that's the way things are.  If WTOL really wanted to be helpful they'd publish an article on just what a homeowner should do right after the violent criminal misguided choir boy measures his length on the living room carpet and stops leaking and twitching.  Now that would be useful.

5 comments:

Ross S. said...

I love it! Good post. I'll be damned if I'm going to ever sit at home, all alarmed up, with the doors and windowss closed and locked. We've got our little noise makers with teeth too. I like your choice of side arms. For me, a Winchester 12 guage is my choice for home protection. Aiming is not as critical and the sound of me cocking it is a sound like no other...

Ross

Older School said...

I am flabbergasted that a law enforcement officer would tell you to flee from your home. It's as though he advocates one side of the coin over the other. He could have simply quoted the law to the public, but stressed that law enforcement "suggests" you do this...
I am pretty sure that Ohio has a stand your ground rule or Castle Doctrine law plainly outlining that one has no duty to retreat in their home or place of business.
In my state, you can use deadly force in the commission of a dangerous felony and breaking in to my house is a felony. Under the law, if I use deadly force in the protection of myself or my property, I cannot be criminally charged or become part of a civil action for defending myself against an intruder or attacker.
That police officer was out of line and the news media just followed behind the standard liberal, moon bat, half assed beliefs. Oh, sorry. That was redundant.

I agree, if you can get past the barking dog with attitude, then you take your chances with an armed home owner. You get that far, you deserve lead in your ass!

Mad Jack said...

...and the sound of me cocking it...

Careful! You might scare them off... :)

Ross is correct. A shotgun is generally better than a handgun for defense. Or offense, for all that matters. I have a side by side 12 gauge coach gun with open hammers that I like pretty well. I know a deputy sheriff that used to carry one, and the few times he ever had to pull it the bad guys took one look at the barrels with the hammers back and gave it up with enthusiasm.

Mad Jack said...

The officer in question is a Lieutenant and he may well be saying what he's been ordered to say. I know that many policemen do not share this opinion.

...if I use deadly force in the protection of myself or my property, I cannot be criminally charged or become part of a civil action for defending myself...

Which is the way it should be. This is especially true in the case of civil action. The family who raised this misguided choir boy and erstwhile honor student will sue you for wrongful death in the hope of hitting the lottery, and even if their case is dismissed by the judge it will be appealed and dragged out until someone pays them off or you, the homeowner, hit the lottery and draw a judge that dismisses the case with prejudice. The part that angers me is that the commercial news media will vilify the homeowner who was defending home and hearth. Consider that this door stop could have:
Gone house to house asking for odd jobs such as yard work.
Not broken into your home.
Retreated in the face of a locked door.
Retreated when the dog went off.
Retreated at the sound of a Winchester 12 being cocked.
Retreated when the homeowner yelled "I will air you out!!!"
Hit the deck and yelled "Don't shoot, I surrender!"

None of that happened and now the homeowner has a mess to clean up.

Older School said...

I had a firearms instructor at the academy who always said, "the shotgun speaks an international language." Then he would proceed to rack one in. An eerie sound, to say the least. Now the scumbags run from police knowing full well that you will not shoot them in the back. Citizens protecting their home or property don't have to play by the same rules as police. That's a common misconception.

There have been several documented cases of Castle Doctrine incidents in this state where "concerned" family members of the dead perp were trying hard to hit the lottery jackpot. They often begin the frenzy by dragging in the news media and by attempting to prove that their poor, deceased felon was attempting to retreat from the scene of the crime.
All their brothas and sistas will rally around the perp's family hoping to put the homeowner in jail. Standard practice is that the police will conduct an investigation and then forward their findings to the local prosecutors office to let them determine if there is enough probable cause to warrant any kind of criminal action.

Of all the cases involving a homeowner who used deadly force in the protection of themselves or their property, only one was prosecuted. The circumstances of each are evaluated but you won't see prosecutors actively pursuing the homeowner and most attorneys don't want to touch a losing case. That, and the fact that there are several hundred (maybe more) attorneys in this state that are CWP holders. The Castle Doctrine law in this state has yet to be challenged.

That police officer's comments should be challenged in a public forum. You have no duty to retreat in your home!