“George and Christina Carroll were enjoying a stroll home along Monitor Street [Brooklyn] late Friday after checking out a new apartment and then hitting a local bar, when one of a pair of men hanging out on the steps of a school muttered something to them as they passed, the stunned widow told The Post. ‘It was basically, ‘What are you looking at?’ said Christina Romero Carroll, 41. ‘And my husband — he’s a Texan — he’s like, ‘I’m looking.’” And then . . .

The next thing she knew, “they got into it. They were chasing him. My husband ran. He threw his phone at them to try to defend himself. It was just so quick . . . There was so much blood,” she said.

The killer then fled.

And remains at large.

Was this lethal confrontation avoidable? Perhaps. Would it have turned out differently if Mr. Carroll had been armed? Perhaps. Shooting a lead bullet at, say, 1000 feet per second is a lot more likely to stop a knife-wielding pursuer than a hand-thrown cell phone. According to his widow, Mr. Carroll was the kind of American who wouldn’t have hesitated to use a firearm in defense of innocent life.

Carroll was a devout Catholic and dedicated family man who was “gentle and friendly, but he was tough,” his wife said. “If you came to his face, he was a man’s man. He was someone you could walk down the street with, and if someone was trying to hurt you, he would defend you.”

With what? His good looks? Sorry, but given New York City’s rigid gun control regime — which doesn’t include reciprocity with the Lone Star (or any other) State — Mr. Carroll was left defenseless against a lethal threat. 

Our sympathies go to Mr. Carroll’s friends and family. We have no sympathy for the voters who support gun control in New York City, or the cynical politicians, police and bureaucrats who defend and promote civilian disarmament. They are not directly responsible for the loss of another innocent life to a violent assault, but neither are they blameless.

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43 COMMENTS

  2. Perhaps the victim is not completely blameless, either. We all know to avoid stupid people, stupid situations and stupid places. He broke all three rules, starting with his move to Brooklyn. After all, if one takes a nice excursion to the beautiful mountains of Iran, or Afghanistan, or the scenery of Iraq, would they be blameless?

    • Lived for two decades in an Italian neighborhood in Brooklyn. While I was affectionately described as a “f***ing yuppie” by the long term residents, I joined with my neighbors in looking out for our community. Nothing like this ever happened on our turf cos we all looked out for each other. So “his move to Brooklyn” was not, in and of itself, a move to a “stupid place.”

      However, what I speak of does not apply to all neighborhoods of the borough.

      • Well, there are reasons most of the Brooklyn Italians moved to Staten Island or upstate. I live in what used to be one of those Brooklyn Italian neighborhoods. There are still some Italians at the edge of the neighborhood, and scattered holdouts here and there, but most left when the neighborhood turned bad. Some come back regularly to visit old businesses, restaurants, churches, and clubhouses. There is an extremely low-key hunting club with a basement pistol range in the neighborhood. Though they’ve been using it for many years without incident, going back at least to training servicemen on their range during WWII, and it’s no secret, if the locals discovered it they could probably be shut down by the local vehemently anti-gun politicians just as a “f— you” to the handful of gun owners around, a scapegoat class. They would do it. Leftists around here, as they are everywhere, are insane control freaks who can’t tolerate disagreement and throw a tantrum at the slightest hint of provocation.

        • Oh, and I can confirm that the Texan was shot in what’s usually thought of as hipsterland, but it’s not entirely gentrified or young tragically hip people couldn’t afford to live their anymore. It remains a pretty cheap place to live with much of the pre-revitalization population remaining. That is to say, the criminal element remains, especially on the borders of the neighborhood. Walk too far down that street and the neighborhood is worse.

          I get creeped out walking late at night down a residential street even in the most tony areas, though. There are thugs all over the place. It’s not a society that emphasizes moral instruction and rectitude. It’s all hedonism worship, with the occasional moral satisfaction provided by mandating that those who don’t have the resources to sin should steal from those who do, so all can enjoy prosperity. The streets aren’t particularly safe, and if you should be victimized you won’t have the means to defend yourself. If you do, you’ll likely subsequently be victimized harder by the state than you were by the criminal.

    • Agreed. How much crack do you have to smoke that moving from Texas to New York seems like a good idea?

  4. Don’t start shite if you can’t finish it…threw his PHONE?!? A knife of your own is better than a “smart”phone. I’ve been in some awful neighborhoods and tried not to start anything. Sometimes crazy will out…

    • Well, if you were unarmed and get embroiled in a fight, how do you plan to distract/stun an attacker at range? You’re presupposing the guy had options, and *really* presupposing he had the option of avoiding this fight.

  5. Some wild animals will attack if you make eye contact, as it is perceived as a threat….just sayin.’

  7. If the wife’s account is accurate, he should’ve kept on moving. They were in Brooklyn looking for an apt? Why? Stay in TX. There’s no need to exchange words with someone when you’re the visiting team. Home field advantage usually wins the day. Despite all of that though, he should’ve been armed, and it should be legally for him to have done so.

    • If if if if if. Who knows, he could have not said anything and met the same demise since, if the story is accurate, he essentially said what and was stabbed to death for it. An individual willing to kill you for that surely is willing to kill you for not responding how they like.

  8. They are not directly responsible for the loss of another innocent life to a violent assault, but neither are they blameless they are ultimately responsible.

    Let’s go ahead and play the “if it saves one life” card.

    The politicians who make these rules and the people who vote them in are getting decent, peaceful people killed. And to add insult to injury, they’re wiping their bungholes with the Constitution in the process.

    They absolutely are responsible — and they should be treated accordingly.

    [edit: viglink is autolinking the word assault to Brownells…really? WTF?]

    • No kidding; they’re responsible for shitty governance, and that’s the end of it. That’s not nothing, though, and allows crime to proliferate so stuff like this can happen more often.

  9. Those supporting gun control in the New Dork City should be the ones dying! There isn’t enough money to make me ever want to live there! Long Island was bad enough! And living in New Dork state is a fracking nightmare due to gun laws!

    • I hate to say it but how do we know these people didn’t support gun control? Texas to new york is a fairly radical change and I would assume anybody who has a head for armed self defense will understand the principles espoused in other comments here (avoid stupid people, places etc, carry a knife, dont mean mug the locals, don’t be a “mannly man” if you aint ready to brawl, etc). Tragic death? yes… but his actions are what I see happen to people all the time who don’t understand the need/right to keep amd bear arms.

      • Seeing as the couple apparently did a documentary or Tupac Shakur…I’m inclined to side with your suspicions. Still no reason to be killed over a sideways glance by a savage.

      • I’ve lived in this fracking state and seen enough of the dirty politics, crime, corruption,
        and inbreeding among the dumbassocrats and liberals to know they prefer an unarmed population to avoid being shot themselves! New Dork is totally anti-gun under the Tyrannasaurus Cuntmo in Albany. DeAssio of NYC is his stepchild when it comes to gun control. I’ve seen them propose legislation to mandate outrageous insurance requirements on gun owners, proposed house to house searches for guns, implement gun ownership data bases for all guns, sky high permit fees to register and re register, and recently, denied renewal to all gun permit holders with no reason! There were proposals to photograph and fingerprint all gun and ammunition buyers and maintain data bases on who bought what and when. There is no “stand your ground” defense no matter how justified. You are guilty! Those in NYC demanded gun control. There are now over a million+ gun owners in New Dork state that are felons because they own unregistered AR-15s. The Cuntmo did that regardless of the people because he reigns! Those that managed to register before he shut down the registration are subject to confiscation at any time. The majority of solid citizens throughout the state do not support gun control. The polecats in Albany, NYC and other cities are the ones that mandate gun control.

  10. I lived in Manhattan for 11 years 1980-91.
    I carried for 8 of those according to NYC illegally.
    Last 3 legal. I had a connection and used it for the last 3.
    If I still lived there. Id be doing whatever I had to do to keep myself safe. Legal or otherwise.
    Look the part too and you might be left alone by the Po Po.. At least I was for those 8 years. A tie and jacket goes a long way. When belt carrying.

  11. I guess I’ll be the one to say it; no racial descriptor of attackers despite eye witness and an urgent need to apprehend them. Odds the deceased wore that distinctive hat at the time?

  12. Those of us who live in Right-to-Carry States need to decide whether we will remain complacent. Yes, we have our Rights in our home States; we have reciprocity in most of the States that surround our home States. Yes, we have reservations about ANYthing Congress might do to regulate – even to DE-regulate – guns in the several States. So, we refrain from INSISTING that our Senators and Congress-critters push-through National Reciprocity.

    Do we REALLY believe that the RK&BA belongs to “all men”? Even those residing in the No-2A-States? Does the RK&BA belong to our brethren who have occasion to travel to NY, DC, MD, CA, HI, etc? To those who – for some misfortune – need to take up residence in such a State?

    It’s time for us to step up to the plate. The last 10 Won’t-Issue jurisdictions will not come to the 2A voluntarily. Gun-owners resident in those States are not numerous enough to influence their legislatures. If the 2A is to prevail throughout the US it is incumbent on US to make that happen through Congressional acts.

    • Thank You for you kind comments.

      Lets hope there are more out there who feel the same as you do.

      Trapped behind the iron curtain.

    • Do you believe the RKBA is an inherent trait to a healthy, correct existence of the human animal on our planet? If so, that’s the same as believing that the right is endowed to us by our creator himself as part of natural law. If you believe that, and that all humans are created equal in a broad sense (that is to say, we cannot know their character & potential future at the time of birth) then you must therefore believe the RKBA extends to all humans, everywhere. Further, that everyone who is denied that right for whatever reason by their society is being abused in much the same manner as a caged animal denied sunlight.

      Congress was not needed for the National Guard to be mustered for the opening of Little Rock High School to nine black students, even over the protests of the governor. Trump could order a similar forced-compliance in any number of areas that now openly flout court orders in favor of gun control, namely his local Washington DC which still dawdles in issuing carry permits despite (last count) three court orders making them do so.

    • In the land without guns, the thug with a knife just killed your helpless ass in front of your wife for looking at him funny.

      Part & parcel of living in a civilized cosmopolitan big city, I’m told.

  14. Alexander I’m going to go out on a limb and guess you haven’t been to Brooklyn in awhile ? At all? Many parts are heavily under gentrification , my daughters little apartment was $2,600 a month and the crime rate was pretty low .

    Certinly lower then many other parts of the state outside of NYC .

    • …gentrified enough for a thug with 13 priors by age nineteen loitering on the schoolhouse steps to knife you on the way back from the bar…

  16. I had a good friend in New York City
    He never called me by my name, just hillbilly
    My grandpa taught me how to live off the land
    And his taught him to be a businessman
    He used to send me pictures of the Broadway nights
    And I’d send him some homemade wine

    But he was killed by a man with a switchblade knife
    For 43 dollars my friend lost his life
    I’d love to spit some beech nut in that dude’s eyes
    And shoot him with my old .45
    ‘Cause a country boy can survive
    Country folks can survive

  17. They are not directly responsible for the loss of another innocent life to a violent assault, but neither are they blameless.

    The bureaucrats, politicians, mayors, governors, prosecutors, judges, police chiefs, and rank-and-file police officers who enforce disarmament laws are accessories to every robbery, assault, rape, and murder that happens to the people in their jurisdictions who would otherwise be armed for self-defense.

  18. I was born in NYC and lived there for 35 years. When I was a young boy, I learned that the proper response to “what are you looking at?” is no response at all, since there is no correct answer. It’s not even a question — it’s a challenge.

    In 1990, a tourist from Utah was stabbed to death on the subway.

    http://www.nytimes.com/1990/09/04/nyregion/tourist-slain-in-a-subway-in-manhattan.html

    It was a big story, and later on my law partners represented the family.

    I’ve been told that NYC is a different place now, and I tend to believe it. The city went from 3000 murders a year to 300, so that’s good. Unfortunately, there are still plenty of vermin scurrying around the City, and another dead tourist.

    • Right on the money. Most solo pedestrians in New York City walk to their destinations as if they are ghosts, acknowledging no one. Acknowledgement, or engagement of any kind, serves as an invitation to further hassling.

  19. NYC is a cesspool. Been there, won’t go back. Those who live there vote in favor of the crap they live with, I think forced CCW reciprocity would be a wonderful thing. The way it is now if you are from out of town, you walk around with a target on your chest. If visitors started to shoot the thugs dead, then the thugs that reside there would be forced to prey on other residents, that would be sweet irony.

  21. The entire country is neither responsible or blameless either.
    The gun community as a whole needs to come together and stop saying not my problem.
    Call your congressmen and demand the national reciprocity get passed.
    Boycott any firearms company that sells firearms to the LE in these states that its citizens aren’t also allowed to carry.

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