Hebron, Kentucky David Whitford Boone County
Courtesy Boone County Sheriff's Department
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By José Niño

Disregarding the mainstream media is generally a healthy thing to do when discussing gun policy. To journalists and the commentariat, the idea of having a firearm is unfathomable. After all, aren’t guns only really used by mass shooters and common criminals?

Not quite.

Cinncinati.com details a recent defensive gun use.

A 29-year-old man, David Whitford, attempted to burglarize a Hebron, Kentucky home in the middle of the afternoon recently. Little did the assailant know that a law-abiding gun owner was home and armed.

From the Boone County Sheriff’s Facebook page:

Upon further investigation it was learned that Whitford was attempting to force entry into a residence on River Road and was confronted by the homeowner who was armed with a handgun. As Whitford fled the area on foot towards the riverbank the homeowner fired several warning shots. The homeowner searched for Whitford and located him on his property, bedded down in a wooded area. The homeowner then fired several more warning shots in close proximity to Whitford, grabbed him and a physical struggle ensued between the two. As a result of the struggle, Whitford sustained head and facial injuries and was transported to St. Elizabeth in Florence. He has since been released. The homeowner refused medical treatment while on scene.

When deputies arrived on the scene, they found the homeowner restraining Whitford who now resides in the Boone County Detention Center, charged with second-degree burglary.

While firing warning shots is legally questionable and could result in charges against the homeowner, it was effective in this case. Chalk this up as another successful defensive gun use.

Estimates of the number of defensive gun uses in the US every year range from about 500,000 to almost three million, depending on who’s doing the counting. Gary Kleck’s latest number of 1.1 million based on updated CDC data seems a reasonable compromise.

Many cases like the one in Hebron, Kentucky take place on a daily basis. Incidents of guns used in self-defense don’t always end in a uniform fashion. Most never involve pulling a trigger. Whatever the details, these cases demonstrate the many reasons millions of law-abiding Americans carry a firearm every day.

An armed individual is the best first responder when faced with an immediate threat. Law enforcement has a place in an orderly society, but it cannot be relied upon to arrive in time to save the day. That’s why Americans secure their persons and property by arming themselves. You never know what the elements will throw at you on any given day.

Some local media outlets manage to do their job (even in an era of fake news) and cover such cases of self-defense. Just don’t expect a subsequent op-ed extolling the virtues of Second Amendment freedoms.

That’s why alternative media outlets are crucial telling the whole story of guns in America, including the defensive uses that far outnumber those of criminals.

 

José Niño is a Venezuelan American freelance writer. Sign up for his mailing list here. Contact him via FacebookTwitter, or email him here. Get his e-book The 10 Myths of Gun Control here.

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118 COMMENTS

        • Actually, in some cases, he/she/it can.

          Physical forensics is a thing.

          Do the wounds match the story of the survivor? Etc…

      • Shooting a burglar who is either running away with a lamp or hiding and not actively pointing a weapon or charging at you is murder one you complete moron wanna be tough guy. It’s shitfucks like you publishing crap like your Force of One comment that continues to make it harder and harder for the rest of us to carry and use our firearms when absolutely needed… In the Gravest Extreme – read it you complete idiot.

        • @waylon

          Drug addicts do, retard. Anything they can quickly and easily steal and sell. A guy I knew from high school use to steal garden tools out of people’s garages to sell at pawn shops for drug money but he would take anything that he could grab and run off with.

    • I personally think this post is nothing but click-bait. The articles hear are of less and less quality as time moves forward.

      How did this post ever pass to be posted?

      • If I were you, I’d demand a full refund for what you paid to read it.

        At least show a little creativity in your trolling, son…

    • Perhaps “warning shots” are polite way of saying misses. It is surprisingly difficult to hit a moving target with a pistol. Doubly so if you are running as well.

      • Same. I always aim for the crotch. Everytime. I in fact hope they don’t die, so they have to live out the rest of their days as a dickless weirdo.

        • Hey Ron:

          A dickless weirdo? Just what we need. Another democrat congressman. Shiff maybe?

    • Ammo is scarce in some places and rounds cost money..Don’t waste THEM “waste” the perp. That way this person cannot be let go to do it again to some other person. (like right here in COMMUNIST-RUN N.Y.) where they are letting the scum OUT of jail , and the ones that get “caught” committing crimes, are let go again, thanks to our corrupt, criminal “governor”…..”emperor” cuomo’s and his communist “minions” in Albany, voted in the new NO “bail law”, and NO incarceration. (CODDLING his criminal “voters”)

  1. Dumb ass hadn’t heard millions are now home during the middle of the weekday due to the chicom flu?

      • On the serious end of this thought yes more new gun owners. But may have intruders prepared for violence and banking on new owners and newly unemployed office workers not being ready to respond in kind. All for a shiny new previously owned firearm.

        • Translation from whiskey me, new gun owners may not be prepared to shoot whereas criminals willing to break into an occupied home will very likely be willing to be violent to acquire newly purchased and soon to be previously owned firearms. Sorry about that it’s been a long week.

  2. Ammo is too expensive for a warning shot! With the current shortage, it would also be hard to replace.

      • Not sure if I want to search if crawfish 1) are around that region and 2) are as hungry as crabs on the Chesapeake.

        • Growing up and catching crabs on the bay, we’d joke that they’d eat us and we’d eat them. After years in Law Enforcement, I learned you don’t have to be down there long (in the summer) for crabs to start dining. The old joke was, “lets drop him in for another hour and get a bushel”.

    • “Next to a river , you say ….”

      Near a van, down by the river, perhaps…?

  3. One “warning shot” hits fleeing bad guy, and you might just first degree murder a second degree burglar.

    Personally, I’m not gonna shoot someone over stuff. If all they want is my stuff, they can have as much as they can run with.

      • Tricky one but boils down to immediate threat and laws of the relevant jurisdiction. Does he point at you? Does your state allow you to shoot trespassers in the back? Unless I am somehow on base duty no way am I risking my freedom over a fleeing shitbag with a weapon even one of mine. Report it stolen take the loss and move on with reducing the probability of a repeat.

        • Don’t be silly, that’s not even possible. Loading stolen firearms is against the law.

    • We may be headed into a miserable depression. I suspect attitudes about protecting your stuff is going to change as it gets harder to replace.

      • “We may be headed into a miserable depression.”

        I’d bet on it. Massive unemployment.

        Like I said to my dad yesterday, as I was trying on some rather nicely-made cloth masks my sister sent him and I, I bet armed robberies, even bank robberies are gonna spike, now that mask-wearing in public is now the norm.

        “Can you describe the robber? ” “Yeah, hoodie and a mask…”

        • I asked a bank guard the other day if he thought he’d ever see the day he’d invite masked people into his bank? We had a chuckle about it.

          New reality.

    • Make sure you post your rules in large letters, at every entrance to your property, I’m sure it will get you a lot of attention. If it were still legal to post the traditional sign, I would. That is, “Trespassers will be shot. Survivors will be shot again.”

      • “Survivors will be shot again.”

        Know the legal ‘lay of the land’ where you are.

        That sign could be considered premeditation by a DA looking for a future in politics…

        • Which is almost every last one of them. Aside from it being unreasonable and unethical to shoot someone who is no longer a threat, it is a stupid thing to say when the powers that be can look up every thing you say online.

  4. his lawyer will claim false arrest and excessive force…
    if you have time to fire warning shots, your life is not in imminent danger…
    wait and see…the homeowner will get arrested and sued…

    • For the Northeast he would already have been arrested and formally charged. Don’t know enough about Kentucky to say of the end result will be different but I would like to hope it would.

      • Generally speaking, how is NY state on lethal self-defense in the home?

        Does the homeowner have any ‘duty to retreat’ laws to consider?

        • In theory and mostly in practice we have castle doctrine but it is possible to get in hot water if you were not suprised or in fear for your life and it can be a good idea to say both and hold any further comments until after talking to a lawyer to prepare a statement. County and local municipality vary greatly with how much they would view a perp as the victim but most of upstate is relatively normal.

        • N.Y is run by a COMMUNIST “governor” that protects his criminal “voters” .
          At numerous locations across the State this morning, hundreds of Sheriffs, District Attorneys, Police Chiefs, Police Union members and other law enforcement officials called on the Legislature and the Governor to address serious concerns to New York’s new bail and discovery laws taking effect January 1st.

          Listed below are some of the over 200 crimes for which a defendant CANNOT be sent to jail after arraignment under the new laws. Law Enforcement and Judges will have no option but to set these people free back into our communities within hours of committing their crimes.

          I and my fellow Sheriff’s take great pride in the safety of our communities. There is little doubt that these new laws will have a negative impact on public safety.

          New York’s New Bail Laws

          Prepared by Senior Executive Assistant District Attorney James C. Quinn 11/19/19.

          Under the new bail laws, effective January 1, 2020, Judges in New York State cannot set bail on any of the following crimes (and most attempts to commit these crimes), and must release the defendant on non-monetary conditions, regardless of criminal record, ties to the community or previous bench warrants on other cases:
          Penal Law Section:
          140.25 Burglary 2° (Residential)
          Burglary 2 as a Hate Crime
          140.20 Burglary 3° (Commercial)
          Burglary 3 as a Hate Crime
          160.10 Robbery 2° (Aided by Another)
          Robbery 2 as a Hate Crime
          160.05 Robbery 3°
          220.31 – 220.43 Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance 1°, 2°, 3°, 4°and 5°
          220.28 Use of a Child to Commit a Controlled Substance Offense
          220.03 – 220.21 Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 1°, 2°, 3°, 4°, 5° and 7°
          220.44 Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance In or Near School Grounds
          220.46 Criminal Injection of a Narcotic Drug (into another person)
          220.48 Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance to a Child
          220.65 Criminal Sale of a Prescription for a Controlled Substance by a Pharmacist
          220.70 – 220.74 Criminal Possession or Manufacture of Methamphetamine
          120.00 Assault 3°
          Assault 3 as a Hate Crime
          120.01 Reckless Assault of a Child by a Day Care Provider
          120.02 Reckless Assault of a Child
          120.50-120.60 Stalking 2°, 3°and 4°
          Stalking 2, 3 and 4 as a Hate Crime
          120.03 Vehicular Assault 1° and 2°
          120.04-a Aggravated Vehicular Assault
          120.12 Aggravated Assault upon a Person less than 11 years old
          Aggravated Assault upon a Person less than 11 years old s a Hate Crime
          120.13 Menacing 1°, 2° and 3°
          Menacing 1, 2 and 3 as a Hate Crime
          120.25 Reckless Endangerment 1°and 2°
          120.30 Promoting a Suicide Attempt
          120.60 (2) Stalking 1° (while committing a sex offense)
          120.45 – 120.55 Stalking 2°, 3° and 4°
          121.11 Criminal Obstruction of Breathing or Blood Circulation
          125.10 Criminally Negligent Homicide
          125.12 Vehicular Manslaughter 2°
          125.14 Aggravated Vehicular Manslaughter
          125.15 Manslaughter 2°
          135.10 Unlawful Imprisonment 1° and 2°
          Unlawful Imprisonment 1° and 2° as a Hate Crime
          135.37 Aggravated Labor Trafficking
          135.45 – 135.50 Custodial Interference 1° and 2°
          135.55 Substitution of Children
          135.60 – 135.65 Coercion 1°, 2° and 3°
          Coercion 1°, 2° and 3° as a Hate Crime
          140.05 – 140.17 Criminal Trespass 1°, 2°, 3° and 4°
          Criminal Trespass 1°, 2°, 3° and 4° as a Hate Crime
          140.35 Possession of Burglar’s Tools
          140.40 Unlawful Possession of Radio Devices (police scanners)
          145.00 – 145.10 Criminal Mischief 1°(explosion), 2° ($1500), 3° ($250), and 4°
          Criminal Mischief 1°(explosion), 2° ($1500), 3° ($250), and 4° as a Hate Crime
          145.14 – 145.70 Criminal Tampering 1°, 2° and 3°
          145.22 – 145.23 Cemetery Desecration 1° and 2°
          145.26 – 145.27 Aggravated Cemetery Desecration 1°and 2°
          145.25 Reckless Endangerment of Property
          145.40 – 140.45 Tampering with a Consumer Product 1°and 2°
          145.60 Making Graffiti
          145.65 Possession of Graffiti Instruments
          150.01 – 150.10 Arson 3° (intentionally damage building or vehicle by fire or explosion)
          Arson 4° (recklessly damage building or vehicle by fire or explosion)
          Arson 5° (intentionally damage property of another by fire or explosion) Arson 3°, 4° and 5° as a Hate Crime
          155.30 – 155.42 Grand Larceny 1° ($1,000,000), 2° ($50,000), 3° ($3,000) and 4° ($1,000) Grand Larceny 1° ($1,000,000), 2° ($50,000), 3° ($3,000) and 4° ($1,000) as a Hate Crime
          155.43 Aggravated Grand Larceny of an ATM 155.25 Petit Larceny
          Petit Larceny as a Hate Crime
          156.20 – 156.27 Computer Tampering 1°, 2°, 3°, and 4°
          156.10 Computer Trespass
          156.05 Unauthorized Use of a Computer
          156.29 – 156.30 Unlawful Duplication of Computer Related Material 1° and 2°
          158.05 – 158.25 Welfare Fraud 1° ($1,000,000)
          Welfare Fraud 2° ($50,000)
          Welfare Fraud 3° ($3,000)
          Welfare Fraud 4° ($1,000)
          Welfare Fraud 5° (any amount)
          158.30 – 158.35 Criminal Use of a Public Benefit Card 1° and 2°
          158.40 – 158.50 Criminal Possession of a Public Benefit Card 1°, 2° and 3°
          165.05 – 165.08 Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle 1°, 2° and 3°
          165.09 – 165.11 Auto Stripping 1°, 2° and 3°
          165.15 Theft of Services
          165.17 Unauthorized Use of a Credit Card or Public Benefit Card
          165.25 Jostling
          165.50 Fraudulent Accosting
          165.40 – 165.54 Criminal Possession of Stolen Property 1°, 2°, 3°, 4° and 5°
          170.05 – 170.15 Forgery 1°, 2° and 3°
          170.20 – 170.30 Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument 1°, 2° and 3°
          170.40 Criminal Possession of Forgery Devices
          170.70 Criminal Possession of Vehicle Identification Number
          170.65 Forgery of a Vehicle Identification Number
          175.05 – 175.10 Falsifying Business Records 1° and 2°
          175.20 – 175.25 Tampering with Public Records 1° and 2°
          175.30 – 175.35 Offering a False Instrument for Filing 1° and 2°
          176.10 – 176.30 Insurance Fraud 1°, 2°, 3°, 4° and 5°
          177.05 – 177.25 Health Insurance Fraud 1°, 2°, 3°, 4° and 5°
          178.10 – 178.25 Criminal Diversion of Prescription Medications 1°, 2°, 3° and 4°
          180.03 Commercial Bribery 1° and 2°
          180.55 – 180.57 Rent Gouging 1°, 2° and 3°
          187.05 – 187.25 Residential Mortgage Fraud 1°, 2°, 3°, 4° And 5°
          190.80 -a Aggravated Identity Theft
          190.78 – 190.80 Identity Theft 1°, 2° and 3°
          200.00 – 200.04 Bribery 1°, 2° and 3°
          210.05 – 210.15 Perjury 1°, 2° and 3°
          215.55 – 215.57 Bail Jumping 1° (failure to appear on Class A or B Felony)
          Bail Jumping 2° (failure to appear on Felony)
          Bail Jumping 3° (failure to appear on a misdemeanor)
          195.05 – 195.07 Obstructing Governmental Administration 1° and 2°
          195.08 Obstructing Governmental Administration by Means of a Self Defense Spray Device
          195.06 Killing a police work dog or police work horse
          195.16 Obstructing Emergency Medical Services
          195.17 Obstructing Governmental Duties by Means of a Bomb
          205.05 – 205.15 Escape 1°, 2° and 3°
          205.20 – 205.25 Promoting Prison Contraband 1° and 2°
          205.30 Resisting Arrest
          205.55 – 205.65 Hindering Prosecution 1°, 2° and 3°
          210.35 – 210.40 Making an Apparently Sworn False Statement
          215.00 Bribing a Witness
          215.05 Bribe Receiving by a Witness
          215.19 Bribing a Juror
          215.20 Bribe Receiving by a Juror
          215.22 Providing a Juror with a Gratuity
          215.23 – 215.25 Tampering with a Juror 1° and 2°
          215.35 – 215.40 Tampering with Physical Evidence
          215.45 Compounding a Crime
          215.50 Criminal Contempt 2° under subdivision 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7
          215.51 (a) Criminal Contempt 1° – refusal to be sworn as a witness or testify in grand jury
          215.70 Unlawful Grand Jury Disclosure
          225 Any Gambling Offense
          230 Any Prostitution Offense, including:
          230.08 Patronizing a Prostitute in a School Zone
          230.19 Promoting Prostitution in a School Zone
          230.32 Promoting Prostitution 1° (victim less than 13)
          Promoting Prostitution 2° (compelling victim to participate in prostitution)
          Promoting Prostitution 3° (victim is less that 19 years old)
          230.33 Compelling Prostitution
          230.34 Most Sex Trafficking
          235.21 – 235.22 Disseminating Indecent Material to Minors 1° and 2°
          240.06 – 240.08 Riot 1° and 2°
          240.15 Criminal Anarchy
          240.25 – 240.26 Harassment 1° and 2°
          Harassment 1° and 2° as a Hate Crime
          240.30 – 240.31 Aggravated Harassment 1° and 2°
          Aggravated Harassment 1° and 2° as a Hate Crime
          240.32 Aggravated Harassment of an Employee by an Inmate
          240.45 – 240.46 Criminal Nuisance 1° and 2°
          240.50 Falsely Reporting an Incident
          240.76 Directing a Laser at an Aircraft 1° and 2°
          242.10 – 242.15 Harming a Service Animal 1° and 2°
          245.00 – 245.03 Public Lewdness
          250.05 Illegal Eavesdropping
          250.55 – 250.60 Dissemination of Unlawful Surveillance 1° and 2°
          260.05 – 260.06 Non-Support of a Child 1° and 2°
          260.10 Endangering the Welfare of a Child
          260.22 Facilitating Female Genital Mutilation
          260.24 – 260.25 Endangering the Welfare of an Incompetent or Physically Disabled Person 1° and 2°
          260.32 – 260.34 Endangering the Welfare of a Vulnerable Elderly Person or an Incompetent or
          Physically Disabled Person 1° and 2°
          263.10 Promoting an Obscene Sexual Performance by a Child
          263.11 Possessing an Obscene Sexual Performance by a Child
          263.15 Promoting a Sexual Performance by a Child
          263.16 Possessing a Sexual Performance by a Child
          265.01 Criminal Possession of a Weapon 4°
          265.01-a Criminal Possession of a Weapon on School Grounds
          265.01 Criminal Possession of a Firearm
          265.02 Criminal Possession of a Weapon 3° under subdivision 1, 2 and 3
          265.17 Criminal Purchase or Disposal of a Weapon
          270.20 Unlawfully Wearing of a Body Vest
          270.25 – 270.35 Unlawfully Fleeing a Police Officer in a Motor Vehicle 1°, 2° and 3°
          460.20 Enterprise Corruption
          470.05 – 470.20 Money Laundering 1°, 2°, 3° and 4°
          470.21 – 470.22 Money Laundering in Support of Terrorism 3° and 4°
          496.03 – 496.05 Corrupting the Government 1°, 2° and 3°
          100.10 Criminal Solicitation 1°, 2°, 3° Including but not limited to commit kidnapping, rape, robbery, drug sales,
          or to solicit children under 26 to commit any felony
          105.05 – 105.17 Conspiracy 2°, 3°, 4° and 5°, including but not limited to conspiracy to commit rape, robbery,
          kidnapping, burglary, or to engage a child under 16 to engage in any felony.
          Conspiracy 2°, 3°, 4° and 5° as a Hate Crime, including but not limited to conspiracy to commit rape, robbery,
          kidnapping, burglary, or to engage a child under 16 to engage in any felony as a Hate Crime
          115.00 – 115.08 Criminal Facilitation 1°, 2°, 3° and 4° including but not limited to providing support to people to
          commit murder, kidnapping, robbery, burglary, rape or to aid a person under 16 to commit any felony.

        • I mean yeah Cliff it looks bad when you list it all out but we can’t be expected to actually force people to take responsibility for their own misdeeds let alone be responsible for their own actions. Unless it’s against the party line then it’s time to dust off the Orwell.

    • His lawyer will be a good old boy and know how things are really done. The turd burglar will get some jail time and the while thing will end.

  5. Dumbassery all around.
    He fired not one, but multiple warning shots, multiple times.
    The burglar was fleeing and even Castle Doctrine won’t help you there if you shoot him.
    Then he engaged in a physical altercation where he could have had his firearm taken away and used on him.
    I’d be embarrassed to call this a Defensive Gun Use, more like Dumbass Gun Use.
    Lucky morons, both of them!
    😠

    • Agree. The second time around, when the perp is still not willing to stop trying to kill me, shoot him multiple times and then look for a burial site, by the time you finish he will most likely be dead, if not bury him anyway. Given this scenario, I would not be “in fear”, I would be TERRIFIED this deranged asshole was going to kill me and my family. Prosecute? I want a speedy trial (next week), need public defender, don’t even think about a plea bargain. Warning shots are acceptable only as an excuse for misses.

    • “The burglar was fleeing and even Castle Doctrine won’t help you there if you shoot him.”

      Not always. Know the local laws.

      Texas has an “after dark” stipulation in the rural counties where that can be legal…

    • Good analysis! Let me add…..You are responsible for every round that you discharge out of your firearm. In his home with no avenue of escape (from NJ we have no castle doctrine) if the subject is armed, I’d go for it! Unarmed running away from you dose not pose a threat. Call the police and give them the best description of the subject you can. Getting into a physical altercation with them puts you in a position of possibly being disarmed and shot! Don’t ever underestimate anyone! Desperate people will do desperate things! He dosen’t want to get caught!

  6. I would not chase anyone in that situation. Person doesn’t pose an immediate threat then the deputies can run them to ground.

  7. Warning shots? Hell no. He was a lousy shot and finally gave up in a fit of rage and pistol whipped the bad guy.

    That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

    • That’s kind of what I figured, too. In a semi-gun friendly state, you might call out a miss as a “warning shot.” But in Kentucky? If you miss the perp multiple times, I suspect your buddies would never let you forget it. Hence, the warning shot story, “No, really Bud – I wasn’t trying to shoot him!”

      I does sort of look like the triangular headed perp caught the butt end of a Peacemaker to the temple a few times in the process.

  8. All bullets have lawyers attached to them.

    The perp will have a nice shiner to remember the homeowner by. Hopefully trigger an epiphany and change of career. If not, he better not complain about the next bullet fired his way.

  9. Dumb and dumber. And even dumber than that, somehow.

    1) Firing warning shots- generally dumb (and almost certainly dumb in this case). If a human is an imminent threat, you don’t have time for warning shots. If they aren’t a deadly threat, you shouldn’t be firing shots.
    2) Chasing someone down out of your house (where you have the most presumption of self-defense) to fire MORE “warning” shots as part of an attempt to capture them: dumber! Zimmerman looks like a genius compared to this.
    3) Engaging in a “physical struggle” with that same guy, which gives up almost all the advantages of your firearm: DUMBEST.

    While this may be a ‘successful’ gun use (at least in the beginning… I’m not sure that counts when you’re chasing someone down outside your house) it was only by the grace of god, luck, or whatever universal force was at work that day. Terrible ideas, legally and tactically.

    • (…notes the derogatory comparison to Zimmerman…grabs the popcorn and silently waits to see if any reply will be made…)

    • For Haz’s entertainment and your edification;

      You really need to do a little more research on Zimmerman and not believe the crap you heard from the lying media we all complain about here all the time.

      Watch The Trayvon Hoax and see how the prosecution and family lied, even in court and on the stand, and seriously tried to railroad a man who did hat any of us would and did not do the things the lying communist media told you he did.

      https://www.thetrayvonhoax.com/

      • I know all about Martin’s past. I’m not saying Zimmerman was right or wrong to shoot. It’s irrelevant to my point, which is that Zimmerman made stupid choices that didn’t have to be made that propelled him into that situation. If you want to talk about the stupid decisions Martin made I won’t argue with you.

        But a wannabe cop (i.e. tried to be one and was rejected) should not decide to play pretend with his cell phone and a gun following “suspects” at night through neighborhoods because “these assholes always get away.”

        That is stupid.

        Of course I also know that Zimmerman has been arrested numerous other times, convicted of assaulting a cop that was arresting Zimmerman’s friend, been accused by multiple partners of domestic violence, and tweeted a bunch of stupid things (being on twitter itself is a sign of bad decisions). This is a pattern of a guy who makes dumb decisions that get him in trouble. But for running into the wrong guy at the wrong time, he’d just be another insurance underwriter who has a string of failed relationships. But one night, because he wanted to play cops and robbers, he put himself in a situation to meet the wrong guy.

        Legal? Yes. But just because you can legally do something doesn’t mean you should. And Zimmerman’s case is a very good example of that. Had he not gotten out of his car that night because he almost certainly would not have been placed in danger at all. And for what?

  10. That’s one of the worst things to do, is firing warning shots, especially multiple warning shots, he’s going to be very lucky if nothing happens to him.
    Courts find that to be “not good”, for reasons only a lawyer could explain to you. But by then it’s too late , your already screwed,
    But besides that , good job , Myself I’d of screwed his face up a little bit more.

  11. Warning shots? I don’t understand the whole concept of warning shots. If your’re confronted with a homeowner, gun in hand, how much more warning do you need?

  12. Yeah, I don’t think I will use this as an example of a good defensive use of a firearm. Granted, in very limited circumstances a warning shot may be appropriate. But not several. Twice. And though it seems he may have caught up to the guy while still on his property if they had left his land he may have some problems. Classic case of the victim becoming the aggressor though, so maybe there are some teaching points to be had.

  13. Yeah, not going to spray bullets around the neighborhood when nobody is threatening my life or anybody else’s.

    Besides, seems the homeowner beat the snot out of the idiot anyway.

    Maybe he’d make a good neighbor!!!

  14. When I was a Private I was once asked by the Sergeant of the Guard where I was supposed to fire a warning shot. I replied center mass.
    Whenever he came to inspect my post he always radioed ahead.

  15. Just stupid. Tons of reasons and variables why you don’t fire warning shots, or chase someone. Where did the warning shots go? What if that robber was armed, but decided to retreat anyways, then was able to get far enough ahead to ambush you. Never underestimate someone dumb enough to do this shit. And in Kentucky of all places? Fucken guy would be dead and buried, no holding down, no police.

    • Exactly. Misses don’t disappear. You are responsible for who or what those missed shots connect with.

  16. What a idiot “defender”! There’s no mention of any “Physical threat” against the Defender. I don’t know if Ky allows civillian use of lethal force on property crimes (Burg or Rob) when NO THREAT is made, verbal or physical with or without weapon/displayed.

    A “fleeing suspect” that is not threatening you, is not a threat but Idiot fires several shots at the suspect. What “Warning”(shots) message is he trying to convey since suspect is already running away)? This just changed the defenders status to “Aggressor”. Idiot with gun in hand then CHASES suspect. When the Idiot finds the suspect fires more shots “near him”. What “warning shot message is he conveying now? Run or die, give up or die. At this point if the Idiot has not run out of ammo and mantaines the advantage: why is he In a physical fight with the suspect? No reason for it. If you go to walk a guy with no restraints there’s severl ways to hobble his legs so he cant run or close and attack you. Make him bind himself. Shoe laces, belt, socks, shirts dozens of ways.

    The defending Idiot has a very high probability of being charge, convicted and loosing his liberty and future 2A Rights. More than likely to be sued and the “Suspect” may end up owning everything the Idiot has and more. Clearly harm was intended and bodily injury was delivered.

    Fully exercise your Rights WITHIN the applicable Laws. Once you go beyond that:
    Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

    • There does not have to be a physical threat to chase down and apprehend a thief attempting a forced entry. Warning shots caused no physical harm to the perp and it does not sound like the crime scene was in a crowded neighborhood. The property owner’s location determines if there will be a charge for discharging a firearm.
      The injuries the perp suffered were due to his failure to comply to a citizen arrest. The perp messed with the wrong person who rightfully defended his home and property from a criminal. Warning shots zapped the perp’s energy and set him up for an azz whipping apprehension. Nothing idiot about that.

      • no. He was running away, you don’t fire warning shots regardless. This is not early Iraq at a checkpoint. It didn’t work there either. When someone is running away, they are no longer a threat to you. Plain and simple. Prove it in a court they are. You can’t and nobody ever has. Only idiots pursue. Your cop vigilante mentality is wrong here too.

      • I’m scared that, based on this article and your comment, there are two people stupid enough to think that it’s legally or practically wise to open fire- “warning shots” or otherwise- on someone who is not a physical threat. Keep in mind that one man’s “warning shot” is another man’s “miss.” If that other man is a prosecutor or the police, guess what?

        Chasing someone down outside your house is stupid. If he suddenly decides to fight (because some idiot is chasing him!) you now may be faced with a decision to kill or be killed. If you kill, congratulations, you have no just entered the lottery.

        What will you win? Hopefully nothing. But maybe his family decide to sue your ass off. Will THEY win? Probably not, but your lawyer will cost in the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars and you aren’t getting that money back. Maybe you’ll win national infamy like George Zimmerman whose life was basically ruined, regardless of his exoneration. Maybe you’ll be charged with a crime. Maybe a witness will misunderstand what he saw and testify that you killed a defenseless man. Maybe a witness will LIE and say the same thing (Michael Brown case?). Maybe you’ll be convicted and spend years or decades in jail. Harold Fish probably thought he was legally in the right. Still spent 3 years in prison.

        If you start chasing bad guys around with a gun instead of defending yourself, you are playing a stupid game. Don’t bitch if you do it and win the stupid prize of the year.

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  18. warning shots are pretty hard to justify.
    If the gun is out, you should be in fear of death/harm and should be seeking to preserve your life. Warning shot says “this isn’t really that serious, a.k.a. my gun shouldn’t even be out”

    • Makes sense to fire warning shots at animals. A dog might very well retreat from the report of close gunfire. That’s about it for me unless you’re manning a barricade somewhere.

      • I’ll agree, as long as a shot can be fired safely. Which, of course, is still a player if you are going to shoot the animal.

  19. The general rule regarding when it is appropriate to fire warning shots is really simple:

    NEVER FIRE WARNING SHOTS. PERIOD.

  20. When i was defending our property i too used warning shots with a punch…like 200 little punches in the skin of bird-shot that lasted until they found someone willing to remove all 200 of them with tweezers & alcohol…OUCH….in their Buttocks.

  21. It took a while but I finally got through the posts of pure BS.I had to take a break or two I was laughing so hard.
    Easy to believe why this country has such idiots in the legislator positions today. So many shit house lawyer wanna be’s. it is no wonder questionable laws get passed. It is to protect the stupid that own a gun or wish they did. Some of the posts are pure idiocy and they walk among us today. It is amazing how so many purported adults make a decision on little to no information.

  22. Philosophical question for all of us:
    Is shooting defense lawyers who have political intentions more beneficial to society than shooting a robber?

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