This one’s for you, granny.
Foxfier posted one of her short articles with multiple links on her Head Noises site. Check out Beware Grandmothers and Purses and in honor of Jan and Dean, grandmothers everywhere and this grandmother in particular, do some serious link-surfing.
The story she gave came from my neck of the woods, a one-hour drive away. But since I have no cable, no newspaper subscriptions, poor internet, yada yada yada, it took an article from a Washingtonian for me to find out what happened in my own back yard.
For the short of it, granny and family were staying in a Columbus, Ohio motel. 25-year-old ex-con on probation enters motel room with gun and demands stuff, including getting on floor. Granny goes down with everyone else, pulls .357 out of purse, pops back up and offs the guy.
She feels bad that this junk went down. Of course she does. Any sane person would. But I’m certain she doesn’t feel bad that she defended her family.
Of course, this has to go to a Grand Jury. Someone died. Standard Operational Procedure and stuff. And some brainless twit commentator on one of the link-surfed sites claims Columbus, Ohio law wants to punish victims of crime instead of the criminals. Living an hour’s drive away, I call hogwash. It’s SOP.
People say Capital Punishment is no deterrent. Ask that 25-year-old kid if he’ll ever commit another crime. Seems to have deterred him. People say law-abiding citizens packing is trouble. You bet it is. Ask that 25-year-old criminal. People say we need to make laws restricting guns. That 25-year-old kid who already did 7 in the joint was illegally possessing a gun, so how would further restrictions have stopped him?
Granny, you’re more than welcome to be my “second mommy” if you want. You did what I hope I can have the courage and family-defense to do should I ever come up against a horrifying choice like you did. And, granny, I got yer back.
(Any commentators, do me a solid and please do link-surf before spouting.)
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Cross Posted on Truth Before Dishonor
Well, there’s a difference between self-defense and capital punishment: in a capital punishment situation, the criminal is already in custody and helpless, and isn’t going to get out of prison even if he isn’t executed.
That said, our good friends who support taking away the right of law-abiding people to be armed are, whether they realize it or not, supporting an advantage for criminals, because criminals, by definition, don’t obey the law. We can’t know that the ex-con would have actually shot anyone, but it is certainly a possibility, and yes, there really is a qualitative difference between law-abiding people being killed by a criminal, and a criminal being killed when a law-abiding citizen defends himself.
Happened very near my neighborhood.
Police question wounded woman
KATHY STEVENS The York Dispatch
Updated: 10/19/2009 10:48:57 AM EDT
Police are questioning a woman in connection with an attempted robbery Friday of a jewelry store in Shrewsbury Township.
Southern York County Regional Police have not released the identity of the woman, who is being treated at a Baltimore hospital for a gunshot wound.
They did say she is a person of interest in the incident, which happened just before 8 p.m. Friday.
Chief James Childs said a woman entered the store with a man; she displayed a gun and he attempted to flex-cuff one of two male customers in the store.
Woman shot: A struggle ensued between the two males, at which point Ken Zampier, owner of Alexander Jewelers, pulled his semiautomatic handgun and shot the female robber, Childs said.
The two robbers then fled the 435 S. Main St. store and ran south, Childs said. Police released information about the incident, asking area law enforcement in surrounding counties and states to keep an eye out.
About two hours after the incident, investigators received a call from Baltimore County Police reporting that a woman with a gunshot wound had been found at a gas station on Mount Carmel Road near Interstate 83. (Her fellow perp, opened the door and shoved her out.)
The woman was transported to Mount Sinai Hospital for treatment. Childs described her as “a person of interest” in the ongoing robbery investigation.
Owner commended: Childs commended Zampier, saying his actions were heroic and likely prevented injury of the employee, two customers and himself.
“He was able to ward off the robbery and saved everyone from bodily injury,” Childs said. “You just never know what was in the minds of (robbers).”
Zampier declined immediate comment.
Police have vague descriptions of the robbers: the male was black, the woman white. Both wore hooded sweatshirts and were “covered up.” Childs said police are reviewing security tapes from the jewelry store and surrounding businesses.
Southern Regional was assisted by the York County Forensic Team, Stewartstown Police and Baltimore County Police.
Childs asks anyone with information about the robbery to call Officer First Class Dan Teague, the lead investigator on the case, at 235-3944.