This time, in Alabama. A homeowner fired warning shots at two men trying to steal gasoline from his shed.
Sources say that two men broke into the homeowner’s shed out on Jackson County Road, Route 83 in Pisgah. The homeowner fired an undisclosed number of warning shots and ordered the two alleged robbers to get on the ground.
At some point during this time, one of the men decided to get up and run toward the homeowner with a knife. The homeowner shot the robber-turned-attacker in the knee.
The wounded attacker was flown to Chattanooga Hospital, leaving the other suspect to be charged with burglary, theft, and false identification.
Analysis:
There is a lot going on here that is wrong and should never be done by anyone who is serious about self-defense. But remember, in these stories all we can do is discuss the information as presented. We were not there and don’t have all the details. Still, we can learn from these.
We don’t know much about this story and I did look for another source for more information on this but was unable to find one. Details are thin but there is a lot we can learn from this situation.
First, in many states it is illegal to deploy deadly force, to include even showing someone your firearm as a deterrent, for theft of property. And, in many states, just showing the firearm IS considered to be deadly force.
The crime usually has to warrant the use of deadly force. Many times, things like preventing murder, rape, serious bodily harm, etc., are things that warrant the use of deadly force. The number of areas where you can deploy your weapon to preserve property are few.
There are a few exceptions to this rule, but more often than not in this anti-gun age, shooting someone for stealing gasoline will get you locked up. Period. Don’t do it.
Second, firing warning shots is never a good idea for a multitude of reasons, with the most obvious being, it doesn’t take a burglar out of the fight. In fact, as it happened here, it can do quite the opposite.
I believe that after the homeowner ordered the men to the ground, he must have turned away or was otherwise distracted long enough for the guy with the knife to feel confident enough to run at him. But again, I was not there.
However, we HAVE to assume that if this person (or an attacker in your own incident) is desperate enough to steal gasoline, that they’re willing and able to avoid getting caught at any cost–to include rushing a homeowner with a knife.
I can’t be positive, but I highly doubt the knife guy wanted to give the homeowner a hug. I’d bet money on the fact that he was trying to end the homeowner’s life, take his gun, and then go get some more gasoline with it.
Thankfully he didn’t have his own gun. I’m also thankful that his accomplice didn’t have a gun because things may have turned out differently.
If you need another reason why warning shots are bad, there are several. Here’s one, you have no clue where the bullets land. They can ricochet off the ground and hit an innocent, or travel really far if shot into the air, also hitting an innocent. Don’t do it.
Finally, he shot the bad guy in the leg. While I don’t know if it’s because he’s a bad shot or if he meant to, I’m leaning towards he meant to. After all, he did fire warning shots at the bad guys to begin with. This is compounded idiocy.
Thankfully it turned out well, so far. But we have to assume, again, that the bad guy doesn’t want to go to jail. While a shot to the knee sucks, if a dude is hopped up on methamphetamine, some other drug, or even his own adrenaline–he may not even feel it.
We also have no idea what shape the second bad guy was in. What was his frame of mind? Did he also have a knife? A gun? Was he willing to charge to stay out of jail?
And, if he did charge, guess what? The homeowner still has two bad guys to deal with because he was unwilling to defend himself properly from the get go. Frankly, he did a lot of things wrong even if he came out on top.
If you carry a gun for self-defense, you must be willing to use it properly once the time comes. This doesn’t mean you have to be willing to kill someone, just that you have to be willing to protect yourself appropriately.
If that person dies because he did something so stupid that you felt you had to protect yourself, then so be it.
Here is the source article for more information. Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
