“Obviously they didn’t know he was home.” That’s Birmingham, Alabama PD’s Lt. Sean Edwards describing what happened when two burglars let themselves into the home of an un-named 68-year-old man Thursday morning. They also didn’t know he was armed. Both intruders were hit when the man opened fire and left faster than they came in. “A short time later, two men with gunshot wounds showed up at St. Vincent’s East.” One is in critical condition. “Edwards said the victim told police he had been burglarized several times in the recent past. … When (an) officer told (the homeowner) they had been struck, he said, ‘I hope they are OK.'” Don’t F with an old guy.
I have to wonder if the homeowner really hopes they’re okay, or whether it’s for public consumption.
Either way, good on him; and I really hope neither of the two lowlives try to sue him for having the temerity to defend himself.
Good manners never go out of style.
When you have to shoot someone, it costs nothing to be polite.
“When you have to shoot someone, it costs nothing to be polite.”
Not always. The Zimmerman – Martin fiasco.
Martin family bleating “He didn’t even say he was sorry!”
Then Zimmerman apologizes. He gets crap now *for* apologizing.
Not to mention the legal ramifications for the apology, civil court may consider that admission of guilt and hence, culpability.
Thus making being polite very expensive.
Just because the two were stupid enough to break into his house doesn’t mean he should want them dead after they got arrested…
Home invaders don’t get shot because you hate them, they get shot because they represent a threat to the homeowner’s life.
I think there would be more unity on this thought if the current system was fixed. As it stands since they are NOT dead they will now go to jail to play some PS4 and work out for about a year until they are released. At that point statistics indicate they will be back to their old ways and burglarizing more homes.
Often the intent to rob can lead to an unplanned rape/murder depending on the situation and who happens to be home during the home invasion. So while it may be good manners to say you hope they are okay, as a father of two daughters and a husband it is good common sense to wish these kind of predators be removed permanently from existence.
That’s probably the smart money way to bet, but you never know. These two, especially the one, represent a particular subset of the statistics, in that they were actually shot at, struck, and at least one was critically injured. True, plenty of thugs out there rock multiple gun wound scars as badges of honor. Still, for some, coming that close to death may be enough to jolt them into a career change upon their release. But as I said, I wouldn’t bet on it.
he hopes they are ok, so he can sit front row in their trial(if they don’t plead)
Maybe it was reported wrong. Maybe he really said KO’ed
Don’t F with an old guy.
Words to live by. Or in the case of one of the two jackalopes, maybe words to die by.
“The way to get to be an Old People is you don’t eff with Old People when you’re young.”
Pretty damn nice to wish the two miscreants good health. Don’t think I would be so charitable.
In the legal arena, it was a very smart statement.
No doubt–but to tell the truth, I really suspect he is just, well, a damn nice guy.
The smarter thing would have been for his lawyer to speak for him. Lawyers often spend months arguing about the hidden meaning of the most simplistic statement uttered. Lawyers will twist every word until it means what they want it to say.
I bet he doesn’t lose a second of sleep over if they really are ok.
Contrary to what some people may feel, there actually are many of us that hope we never have to shoot another human and if we do that they don’t die. I am willing to live with it if they do, in defense of my family, or even just myself, but I won’t enjoy it.
Yeah, I hear ya. I don’t enjoy shooting the squirrels in my back yard. Destructive little critters and I would rather leave them alone as opposed to shooting them. I don’t enjoy it, but I do it. This past summer I shot about eight or so, the last one being yesterday.
A person confronted with intruders in their home? You do what you have to do. Those intruders made that choice for him. They picked an activity which they knew very well was dangerous, that an encounter with an armed individual who may open fire on them was very possible. They rolled the dice and lost. Most people don’t want to be in that position as it certainly is not enviable. Would I feel sorrow for them? No. I think the emotion would best be described as anger towards them for forcing me into that decision.
A person shouldn’t need feel sorry for doing what has to be done.
Wonder what he used to dissuade the two lost boys?
Newton’s Law.
🙂
.38, .39, whatever it took.
I’n gonna find me one of those .39’s. So much more knock down and stopping power than a .38.
Although my .38 has “Special” in the title. That’s gotta mean something.
It means the same thing as it dose when you use it to describe cousin Ricky, they are both just a little… Slow.
hope they effin die
You can F with an old anti-gun guy…
He won’t be able to do much about it.
Didn’t John Heisse, the expert, say: “These scenes don’t play out like they do in the movies. It’s incredibly stressful. To think that the untrained, inexperienced person in that stressful situation will make all the right decisions is, I think, foolish.”
Maybe he just means gun owners in the work place.
Maybe he meant burglars!
Maybe he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
Called it!
Truly, do not F with an old guy. Especially one that has women and children under his protection. I’ve said it many times before. If I can live the rest of my life without having to bring violence to another ever again I’ll be happy.
But don’t mistake my hope for weakness.
Well put.
I am a young guy but I have experienced something similar. I try to be a good guy (albeit cracking jokes all the time) with a bit dark past (I try to keep it “mysterious” AKA not talking about it). And whenever I try to be good people mistake it for weakness. People who know what I did get the “don’t mess with me, I don’t wanna hurt nobody” part but those who don’t know my past they don’t get that memo. So I have to show my “bad” side and that adds more to my dark past. A catch 22 it becomes.
I really feel torn. On one hand I enjoy the adrenaline and the “fun” of standing up for myself… seeing them, who make your life hell, suffer. But I have to try to be a morally “good” person and I don’t want problems with the law. And I also want to maintain my humanity.
Maybe I am just ranting or venting now so I better come up with a point to my post: Always know who you are messing with. and don’t be stupid. If someones face twitches randomly, it probably means you shouldn’t mess them and if you do you might end up with a broken nose or a chopped off finger.
I hate the idea of killing or even hurting someone, but if you break into my home, I believe my life is in danger. How am I supposed to know if the guy (or guys) are dangerous or not, and are willing to kill me over my tv? How am I supposed to know if they’re on any sort of chemical confidence that would make them oh so more willing to kill me over said tv? How am I supposed to know if even I let them take what they want, they wouldn’t turn around and hurt or kill me just for sh#ts and giggles? They broke into my home. They’ve already shown they’re willing to break the law. How am I suppose to know how far they’re willing to break the law?
Hey Dick, most of the time you won’t know. Chances are it will be dark or in low light. Hopefully your first line of defense weapon has a light on it.
Personally, I will give them about as much time as it takes me to determine who it is, and what they are doing.
I will be certain of my target. I’m not killing some 15 year old boy who crawled through the window of the wrong house hoping to get his pecker wet with his new girl friend. Big difference between that and a meth crazed career criminal looking to do whatever they have to do in your home.
Some people tell me they wouldn’t wait to find out, that if someone is in their house, they will open fire. I won’t.
I have the upper hand, not the other way around. I would make sure. If after that someone dies, I can live with that decision without second guesses.
Very well said.
Calm under fire as you stated is the most important part to ensure a bad situation doesn’t get worse for the homeowner since you can’t take a fired bullet back. Spraying and praying is a good way to make regrets like through your example of the horny teen, who would catch a crash course on accountability not a bullet, or like the cop that shot his teen daughter sneaking back into the house. You should educate the ignorant folks you know and explain that your views of target identification then firing is the only moral and legal means in that situation. What happens between you and the confirmed criminal after pulling the trigger is between the two witnesses remaining telling the cops and the witness pool will consist of God, you, and the preferably dead criminal.
Just to clarify, I live in rural area, my closest neighbor is roughly half a mile a way, and I don’t have any children, so the likelihood of having an encounter with a horny teen with the wrong address or a teenage daughter sneaking back into the house are pretty much slim to none.
Similar situation here. Anyone that needs to get into my house knows how to do it quietly. Make enough noise to wake me up and I’ll know you don’t belong there.
Yep. Don’t f@@k with us old guys. Too bad they weren’t hurtled into eternity. And I don’t care about alternate opinions.
I couldn’t agree more.
Who says 68 years is old? At 72, I can still outshoot many of you younger pompous little jerks.
TTAG should continue the ol’ “Dead Goblin Count” from the gunblogs of yore.
In an incredulous tone of voice: “He shot us!”
It happens, deal with it.
Did it happen within 1000 yards of a school, church, park, playground, library, crosswalk, day care, or stay at home mom? MDA will count it as a school shooting and the burglars will be the victims.
I LOVE these feel good stories! Kudos!
he said, ‘I hope they are OK.’”
I would do that with a smile on my face….. with a smile.
More range time is indicated!
We can all hope for a strech in jail and at least the chance to accept Jesus.
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