80 year old man shoots burglar in home with Handgun (Normal: violent crime, neighborhood)

[Humboldt1]

I look forward to the handgun ban being removed. Did the police even confiscate his handgun, which he bought 3 months ago? He bought the firearm after he was robbed of $150 in another home burglary.

I understand no charges are being filed against the man, who shot in self-defense after the robber shot at him and missed.

This guy is a hero. An old man defending his home. A man who needs a cane to walk. Maybe with the handgun ban lifted we will see more stories like this to get criminals to think twice before trying to rob someone.

[lenniel]

The handgun 'ban' really isn't a ban at all. if you have a gun in your home/car and use if for self defense like this hero did, no judge in their right mind is going to prosecute you.

I have a gun in my home and know how to use it. If need be (I hope I don't ever have to) I will use it to defend property and family. I will shoot for center mass. I will fire off 6-9 rounds as quickly as possible in order to make sure the offender never has a chance to react or return fire. If I happen to get a kill shot (which I hope I do), I'll celebrate with a cold beer.

[Texabama]

Message to 80yr old gent; Bravo to you, Sir! Well done.

[Drover]

We need more heart-warming stories like this.

[goldar]

Originally Posted by Humboldt1

I look forward to the handgun ban being removed. Did the police even confiscate his handgun, which he bought 3 months ago? He bought the firearm after he was robbed of $150 in another home burglary.

I understand no charges are being filed against the man, who shot in self-defense after the robber shot at him and missed.

This guy is a hero. An old man defending his home. A man who needs a cane to walk. Maybe with the handgun ban lifted we will see more stories like this to get criminals to think twice before trying to rob someone.

Good for him. I wish the cops would shoot better.

[Pretzelogik]

10-4 to all the above responses

[Holdencaulfield]

Buy that man a cold beer. I hope he rides the el packing heat.

[Holdencaulfield]

Originally Posted by Humboldt1

I look forward to the handgun ban being removed. Maybe with the handgun ban lifted we will see more stories like this to get criminals to think twice before trying to rob someone.

I also support lifting the handgun ban. You will see more stories like this, however you will also see stories of legal gun owners who shoot others in domestic squables. You can bet your dollar on that.

[Craziaskowboi]

Originally Posted by Drover

We need more heart-warming stories like this.

Eh, it's not "heart-warming" at all, but it is satisfying in a way, knowing that the burglar broke into the wrong home.

I honestly think that crime would decrease if there were more guns. Yes, "crimes of passion" would increase, but they would be more than offset by the decrease in premeditated crimes.

[ajolotl]

I support the right to carry a handgun exactly for situations like this, but I'm skeptical of the argument that it would make a dramatic difference and affect violent crime statistics overall. First, 99% of the crime we read about are sucker shootings of people standing on the street, driving, or sitting on their porch. Normally the victim has a gun anyhow. Nothing would change with these cases. I also can't help but look back to my days in Latin America, where probably 10% of the people had most of the money. In my neighborhood most private citizens had 24-hour armed guards. Can't get any more armed than that. Since the criminals knew all potential victims were armed, they simply killed them first as part of the overall strategy, before they could respond. I guess it was better to be armed than not, but it wasn't the ultimate solution to anything. As corny as it sounds, these are really social issues that need to be attacked at a deeper level.