Vancouver Man Shoots Blindly Downstairs

[beavertonbuck]

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I saw this story the other day and it made me cringe. Hopefully before shooting blindly downstairs he made sure that his family and pets were all upstairs. It seems from if you wanted them to know that you were aware of the presence he should have announced that he had a gun and was calling the cops.

I think the potential of shooting a family member is too high, plus while I do not agree with it I believe he could have faced criminal charges if he had actually shot somebody.

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[Misterbill]

Too many unknowns to make a judgement call. He may well have known where everyone in the household was. Not the best tactical move perhaps, but it had the desired effect.

 

[darkminstrel]

This is where standing at the top of the stairs, behind cover, shouting 'I'm coming for you!', and then racking the slide would have been the better choice.

 

[Siuslaw Warrior]

One cannot underestimate the value in training with your firearm.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

Sounds like he fired once into the floor to scare the guy away. "Firing blindly downstairs" makes it sound like he was sending volleys down the staircase

This was the third time in three days that a local homeowner took the law into their own hands.

People defending the lives of their family is not the same as taking the law into their own hands. It's not like he went downstairs and tried the cuff the guy.

 

[davemata]

This is where standing at the top of the stairs, behind cover, shouting 'I'm coming for you!', and then racking the slide would have been the better choice.

You're kidding, right?

 

[bolus]

I'd use some Dragon Breath shells. Nothing like a shotgun blast followed by a giant fireball down the stairs to get the intruder's priorities straight. Sure it would torch the house a little but at least they wont be stealing anything

 

[Spad]

You will notice the KGW report "took the law into their own hands". What are you supposed to do wait until the perp kills and robs you?

 

[Thebastidge]

Any time somebody bemoans a citizen "taking the law into his own hands" remind them of this:

Peelian Principles - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

And this:

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Jury - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jury nullification - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

And this:

Posse comitatus (common law) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

And this:

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10 USC § 311 - Militia: composition and classes | LII / Legal Information Institute


Yes, the law is ALREADY in our hands. The law is derived from the consent of free persons, and every free person has a duty to uphold and enforce just laws, to oppose unjust laws, and participate in the system. If we have a part in making and approving the laws through referrendum and voting for representation, how could we possibly NOT have the right and duty to enforce the law where it comes to our own persons and property?

Now, there are constraints on that, of course. Even the police forces have constraints on their ability to enforce the law, and in some cases they are more stringent than those imposed upon a citizen. For example, the 4th Amendment doesn't apply to citizens not acting in a capacity as an agent of law enforcement agencies prior to discovery of evidence. If you trespass on your neighbour's property and discover his meth lab, that evidence can be presented to a LE agency and does not poison the legitimacy of the evidence. An officer who was on that property without a warrant or without some form of demonstrable cause would have it suppressed due to unlawful search.

As for the guy who shot his own floor: It was effective, he's not being prosecuted, his family is safe. The only perfect solution would have been if the home intruder hadn't been in his home in the first place.

Sometimes you have to take what victory you can, and this was a victory. This guy is well on his way from "baaaa" to "woof", so cut him some slack until you've been in his shoes. Hopefully he'll pursue it further and get more training, do some more tactical and strategic thinking, and get proactive rather than lying awake at night with PTS. (My house was robbed once, years ago when all of us were home. Everybody slept through it, but finding our stuff gone the next morning was very traumatic. Didn't sleep well for a while after that.)

 

[Silver Hand]

I think he just missed and wanted to avoid embarrassment.

 

[davemata]

I think he just missed and wanted to avoid embarrassment.

Wouldn't that be a hoot? Back in MA if he had missed, but claimed to have fired as a "warning", he'd get jammed up in jail immediately, and would probably get nailed with a few gun charges, which he would lose because the DA would simply say, "You had decided that the person(s) you were 'defending' your home against were not a threat to your life, since you fired a warning shot." That would then basically open the door to bs charges like Assault with a Deadly Weapon, with an extra rider since he used a gun.

 

[RVTECH]

shouting 'I'm coming for you!',

I certainly would not want to have to explain this statement to the defense.

 

[Silver Hand]

Wouldn't that be a hoot? Back in MA if he had missed, but claimed to have fired as a "warning", he'd get jammed up in jail immediately, and would probably get nailed with a few gun charges, which he would lose because the DA would simply say, "You had decided that the person(s) you were 'defending' your home against were not a threat to your life, since you fired a warning shot." That would then basically open the door to bs charges like Assault with a Deadly Weapon, with an extra rider since he used a gun.

In the mid 1960s Massachusetts [after the Kennedy assassination] had hand hand gun laws that would put a person in jail for life for transporting a hand gun through the state. At least that is what was made public.
My dad and I would have to go through the state to Vermont from NY hiding the MT hand guns in the car.
It was a always on our mind entering and leaving the state. I am very happy to be out of that region.

 

[davemata]

In the mid 1960s Massachusetts [after the Kennedy assassination] had hand hand gun laws that would put a person in jail for life for transporting a hand gun through the state. At least that is what was made public.
My dad and I would have to go through the state to Vermont from NY hiding the MT hand guns in the car.
It was a always on our mind entering and leaving the state. I am very happy to be out of that region.

You and me both. It's "much" better now, but even with FOPA you don't want to stop in MA anymore. With the restrictions and the moonbattery the place is not just lost, but a cautionary tale to gun owners - if it could happen in the "cradle of liberty," it could happen anywhere.

 

[Swedish K]

You will notice the KGW report "took the law into their own hands". What are you supposed to do wait until the perp kills and robs you?

There you have it - one person gets killed and robbed, then dares to fight back and people start blaming zombies for crime... next thing it will be the zombie apocalypse... oh wait that seems to be getting a slow start in FL...

 

[beavertonbuck]

Sounds like he fired once into the floor to scare the guy away. "Firing blindly downstairs" makes it sound like he was sending volleys down the staircase


People defending the lives of their family is not the same as taking the law into their own hands. It's not like he went downstairs and tried the cuff the guy.

Fair enough but I don't like the sound of shooting without a target in sight. There are too many variables that could go wrong especially if the person downstairs had been someone he knew.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

Fair enough but I don't like the sound of shooting without a target in sight. There are too many variables that could go wrong especially if the person downstairs had been someone he knew.

I agree

 

[rayd8]

Thats nothing. I heard there's a police department back east that fires blindly at suspects and crowds.....