As reported, a neighborhood in Houston with many senior citizens has seen increased crime, including 5 recent robberies. A 16 year old boy was sleeping alone in his father’s home when a criminal kicked in the back door and entered. The boy saw that the home invader had a handgun, and ran to grab a self defense gun. The criminal continued the armed home invasion, at which point the boy fatally shot the criminal in self defense. The boy, who was physically unharmed, then went to a neighbor’s house and called 911. Police arrived, set up a perimeter, and eventually entered the house, where they found the dead home invader, and his realistic-looking BB gun. Police do not expect that the boy will face charges for his morally and legally correct self defense actions.
Often times, gun control advocates like to push for gun bans in order to “protect the children” from criminals. The fact is that such gun bans don’t protect the children, as we’ve seen time and time again in places with strict gun control laws. Instead, gun bans just ensure that parents and older children who could have used a gun in self defense are defenseless against the gun ban ignoring criminals. Nor do gun bans protect children from “accidental” shootings. Instead, gun bans just ensure that gun purchases occur in back alleys between criminals, rather than at gun stores where gun safety information is provided. That is why places like Chicago have an abundance of “accidental” shootings, despite the strict gun laws and outright handgun bans. On the other hand, children who are taught to shoot from a young age are dramatically less likely to commit a crime with a gun, or to be involved in an “accidental” shooting, as a U.S. Department of Justice study found.
When there is a gun in the home, and an older, responsible child is able to access that gun in an emergency, that child is often able to defend themselves. Just as this 16 year old boy was able to defend himself by using a real gun, this other boy was able to fend off a home invader by using his BB gun. The same is true for older students who are in college, such as this University of Arizona student who shot two violent home invaders in self defense, or this Georgia college student who used his gun to stop 10 murders and several rapes from being committed. More information on the benefits of responsibly teaching children to shoot can be seen here.
While it is sad that a person as young as this 16 year old boy had to fire a gun in self defense and take the life of a violent criminal, I wish to commend him for his courage and level-headed action. He not only saved himself from whatever violence the home invading criminal was preparing to inflict, but also ensured that none of the neighborhood’s senior citizens would face attack by that criminal.
I like how you said that gun bans dont really “protect the children” i think that through much information such as tv shows movies books and other publications children would know what end of the gun was the business end.