Marijuana is a terrific drug. It’s far better than alcohol and anything else ingested for “recreational” purposes. There’s no way it should be illegal. But it is. [Void where allowed by law.] So I don’t smoke it. For one thing, I value my gun rights far more than my right to put anything in my body I choose. If I got busted with dope, I’d lose both my livelihood and my ability to legally protect myself, my family and other innocent life. There’s another reason why gun owners should eschew whacky tobaccy, illustrated by the story below [via fox17online.com] . . .
A man and woman were assaulted and robbed at gunpoint by four suspects as they were letting the dog out early Tuesday morning.
According to the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office, it happened at around 4:20 a.m. at a home on Ave C in the city of Springfield. The victims said that they opened their door to let the family dog out, and four male suspects rushed in and assaulted them. They were all wearing hoods and masks, and were armed with handguns and shotguns.
The suspects stole money and medical marijuana before getting away. The 57-year-old woman and 61-year-old man suffered minor injuries during the assault.
I think it’s safe to say that the burglary wasn’t random. The thieves knew the homeowner had something they wanted. How they gathered that intel is – and will probably remain – a mystery (if only because of the Fifth Amendment). That said, there are three things criminals want more than anything else: guns, cash and drugs. Not convinced? Try this story then [via desmoinesregister.com]:
A 15-year-old girl was struck in the head and face by a silver handgun when three men broke into her Des Moines home looking for marijuana Tuesday, police said.
At about 1:05 a.m., a 17-year-old boy was sitting in the apartment in the 900 block of 18th Street, where the 15-year-old girl also lives, when he heard pounding on the door, according to a Des Moines police report. He looked up from his computer to see a foot break through the door.
Three young men, between ages 17 and 20, stormed into the apartment, according to the police report. One was carrying a black handgun, and another had a silver handgun.
The suspects asked the 17-year-old boy “where the weed was” and told him to drop to the ground, police said. The man with the black handgun then held the gun to the boy’s head.
The man with the silver gun ran into a bedroom, where the 15-year-old girl was, according to the report. The man struck her with the gun on the side of her head and on her face.
When police arrived on scene, the girl had a cut on her head, a small cut on the inside of her left forearm and a chipped tooth, according to the report.
As the man was in the bedroom with the 15-year-old girl, a 40-year-old woman, who also lives in the apartment and later called police, came out of her bedroom, police said. The suspects told her to drop to the ground, but she refused. One of the suspects pushed her, according to the report.
Police said all three suspects soon ran out of the apartment saying “There is nothing here, let’s go!”
We’ve already warned gun owners to maintain OpSec (Operational Security) about their firearms. Don’t talk about your guns with all and sundry. Same goes for cash. But drugs – marijuana specifically – is the most problematic of the bad guys’ big three. Buying dope puts you in contact with some deeply unsavory people. Dispensaries aside (or not), the transaction tends to go down in some inherently dangerous places (it’s not like you can make the transfer in a police station parking lot).
If you smoke dope protecting yourself from thieves may simply mean upping your situation awareness. It should certainly mean home carry (recommended regardless). But if you want to lower your risk of a home invasion or mugging by [an undefined but not non-existent] amount, leave marijuana alone. At the very least, don’t advertise your habit. “Oh, Martha and I love a good joint.” Yes. You do. But not as much as dangerous criminals.