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Monday, July 31, 2006

Don't take a knife to a gun fight...

From the Herald:
'The father of a gunshop owner who shot a machete-wielding man wants to know why police have not yet charged the injured assailant.'
Good question. Let us ponder that for a second.
' "[The injured man] is lying in the lap of luxury. He's ruined our lives and he has police protection up there and no one can ask him any questions," Ray Carvell said.
"I'd like to know why he's not being questioned, why he's not been charged with attempted murder. '
Why indeed - but let's hear the full story:
'Ray Carvell told the Herald On Sunday the man burst into the family's Penrose gunshop, Small Arms International, and repeatedly shouted, "Give me the guns or I'll kill you", before being shot.
He said the man pulled a machete from his bag, cornering Greg Carvell and co-worker Bruce Motley in the side staff area.
"He was threatening them with their lives.
"He said, 'Give me the guns or I'll kill you'.
"He kept repeating it ... It happened in a matter of seconds. What would you do?"
Ray Carvell said his son then did "the only thing he could do".
He shot the man in the stomach at close range with a handgun. '
It begs the question - what would you do? You are in the situation where split second decisions are required to SAVE YOUR LIFE. You have guns. Lots of guns. He has a machete. He's going to slice your head off if you don't give him all your guns.

So you take the guns out of the rack... you have the guns in your hands... one of a few things is going to happen.

1) You're going to give him the guns, and in his P Fuelled rage, he's going to shoot you, and your customers, then he's going to go on a murdering rampage, and countless lives will end.

2) You're going to give him the guns, he's going to leave quietly, you're going to call the cops, but they're not going to find the guy, because since when did they ever find an armed burglar?

3) You're not going to give him the guns, you're going to take one of them, and kill him, then be sent to jail for murder, even though you were defending yourself, and essentially, everyone else in the city. People with Guns are obviously more manic than young boys with 8kg rocks.

4) You're not going to give him the guns, you're going to take one of them, and wound him by shooting him in a non fatal part of his body (the stomach), thereby disarming him, and saving your life. You're not going to kill him, though, even though you could have, because you own a gun shop, and chances are you're a pretty good shot with your choice of weapon - and because you're standing not 3 feet away.

What would you do given the options? Food for thought.

BOO to the police for not charging the machete dude with attempted murder (yet), and BOO to the police for trying to find holes in firearms laws.

thanks to the NZ Herald for the image posted here, which can be found at http://www.nzherald.co.nz

posted by miss_seph @ some point in time