A very interesting – if not obvious – statistic came bubbling up while perusing this week’s DGUs. Areas with restrictive gun ownership laws have fewer defensive gun use incidents. Imagine that. We just had our first DGU from our nation’s capital, for instance. Ironically, the only way our victim was able to acquire a gun was to wrestle it away from their attacker. In over 170 articles reviewed, there’s only one DGU from NYC, the aforementioned DC incident, and one from Chicago. Oh, and nothing from Boston. So, where do you find citizens taking back the streets from violent criminals? . . .
Detroit, Michigan takes the honor, with five incidents reported in the last two weeks.
The Motor City serves-up the two ingredients necessary for a successful DGU. First, there’s crime. A lot of it. Detroit ranks #2 in violent crime, behind Chicago (based on the CPD’s numbers, there are about 40 percent more murders in Chicago than Detroit).
Second, Michigan allows its citizens to carry guns for self-defense without too much hindrance. Much of the crime you read about in Detroit is of the “desperation” type: carjackings, poorly-planned robberies, quick grabs for something valuable.
How did Detroit’s thugs do against armed victims? Not so well. Trying to steal a cell phone? You’re gonna die.. Figure an old guy sitting in his car is an easy target? Yep. Dead. Rob a guy at a gas station? Hope your Thieves Union has major medical. As these three stories show, being a criminal in Detroit can lead to an early retirement.
It’s no different in Texas, either. Guns are just as much a part of the Texas landscape as cattle. So, it’s no surprise that Texans take their self-defense seriously, whether they live in Beaumont or Laredo, as last week’s stories show.
Not all instances of defensive gun use are related to some thug trying to steal your stuff. A good number of incidents are of the domestic variety, namely dealing with your new mate’s old baggage. A man was shot dead in Maryland by a single .22LR to the chest, after entering his ex-wife’s home – where she lived with her new husband and four kids – using a spare key. [Video above.]
“Under Maryland law, you have an absolute right to defense yourself in your house under those circumstances,” said the state’s attorney, noting that the dead ex had left several threatening messages.
The bottom line is always the same: get a carry piece if you don’t have one, carry it with you if/when you do. [ED: and lobby for the right to carry if it’s denied.] Appearing in TTAG DGU section (as a good guy) would be traumatic on lots of levels. Being featured in our It Should Have Been a DGU category would be far worse.
The second (Yep. Dead.) and third (has major medical) links in the fifth paragraph are to the same story.
…a single .22LR to the chest…
Once again, the little caliber that could puts lie to the haters. It wouldn’t be my preferred choice, but it’s a darn sight better than nothin’.
When I receive my CC permit, I’m probably going to buy the Ruger LCR snubbie in 357 (loading it with 38 special +P HP) though I’m slightly tempted to buy the Ruger LCR in 22LR.
Regarding the story in MD, we may not have the right to carry (yet), we may have a waiting period for “restricted” firearms, and we may have to drive to Virginia/Pennsylvania to buy magazines that hold more than 20 rounds, but our Castle Doctrine is pretty solid. Our legislature even passed a civil immunity clause a while back. On top of that, state preemption means counties and municipalities can’t pass laws that are stricter than those the state has.
Maryland: Not as good as Virginia, not as bad as New Jersey.
Maryland: Not as good as Virginia, not as bad as New Jersey.
I hereby nominate the above to be the official Maryland state motto.
“Maryland: Not as good as Virginia, not as bad as New Jersey.
I hereby nominate the above to be the official Maryland state motto.”
VERY Funny!
My job gave me a chance to move from CA to MD. Turned it down, because it seemed like choosing between two different levels of hell. I retired early and moved to CO instead.
‘A man was shot dead in Maryland by a single .22LR to the chest’
“They had locked the door, he said, adding that the couple had changed the lock at some point after Everson no longer lived there.
“But, unbeknownst to them, Mr. Everson had a key to the house. So they were somewhat surprised when he was able to come through the front door, and that’s when the shooting occurred,” Rollins said.”
— How did he manage to get a key to their home if they changed the lock after he moved out? That part is curious.
He was the ex-husband of the female on site. Chances are, she has a place she keeps a spare and he knew about it. She might not have thought about this being a problem, until after he entered their home.
Well, depending on how long the guy was being all crazy, he could have found the packaging to the new locks. In most cases a doorknob/dead bolt maker uses the same exact key for hundreds or thousands of locks. All you would have to do to find a box in the trash, read the code, go by the same exact lock and bam, you have 2 keys for someone’s house. So if you guys ever do change locks on your doors, look for any identifying codes and stuff on your boxes and destroy/burn those codes.
I just spent today installing 2 new doors, and bought them and the locks yesterday and wanted the same keys for them and the lowes guy said find 2 with the same code and it works. Was kind of worried about that so I burned them just in case.
No surprise about the lack of dgu’s in the places with restrictive gun laws. The law abiding follow the rules, leaving themselves open to attack by the bad guys. It’s not rocket science and to continue to restrict the good guys must have some other motive than stopping crime.
“No surprise about the lack of dgu’s in the places with restrictive gun laws. The law abiding follow the rules, “
Or the law abiding know to STFU if not following those rules.
How ’bout a map or a chart or something summarizing all your stats?
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