Concealed Carry holder shoots assailants, receives medal.

[Atypical Liberal]

This article just showed up on reddit.

http://www.military.com/news/article/navy-news/navy-ensign-awarded-medal-for-heroism.html

"Ensign Sean Barner, from Stone Mountain, Ga., was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his actions on May 3, 2009.

Barner intervened and stopped two armed assailants during an attempted robbery and then provided immediate medical assistance by applying tourniquets to one of the gun shot wounded victims.

...

After being robbed of their personal belongings, the six men were ordered to a back bedroom while two women were taken to a second bedroom with one assailant while the other two women were taken to the living room with the other assailant.

In the back bedroom, Barner and the other five men overheard the perpetrator’s plan to rape the women and shoot all the victims.

“Knowing that this was not a nice area of town, I brought along a firearm which I left in my book bag,” said Barner, who is licensed under the Georgia Weapons Carry laws. “I was lucky that the room I was locked in had my book bag and had not been searched.”

Barner escaped the bedroom with his firearm and went to the living room where he fired several shots at one of the armed assailants causing him to flee.

Barner then went to the bedroom where two females were being held with by the other assailant. He kicked down the door and entered the room, shooting the assailant and causing him to flee out the window.

That assailant was later found dead near the apartment from gunshot wounds. One of the females was also caught in the ensuing crossfire and received gunshot wounds."

Here we have that dreaded situation that so many anti-firearm folks drag out - "But what if the good guy accidentally shoots innocent bystanders?" In fact, Barner did accidentally shoot one of the innocent bystanders. I bet she doesn't mind so much, though, given the alternative.

Here we had 9 people at the mercy of two armed assailants, assailants who professed their desire to rape the women and kill everyone afterwards. If Barner had not been armed, these people would have had no choice but to try and engage in a physical contest of strength against their attackers to try and save their lives.

Instead, a firearm evened the odds and allowed the good guys to win the day.

Anyone who is against concealed carry of firearms is against this kind of scenario playing out as it did, and instead would prefer that weaker victims be at the mercy of those stronger than they are.

[existentialist]

1. atypical indeed, but

we need views like yours among us, and we need to seriously consider those views.

[SteveW]

33. The events as described may be "atypical," but stopping attacks is not...

There are credible estimates which show some 1 - 2 million violent crimes are prevented by citzens who verbally threatened thugs with a gun, showed a gun, ran the action of a gun, pointed a gun, fired a gun into the ground, fired at a thug, and yes, hit a thug with gun fire. The actual number of times a thug was hit by gun fire is small; apparently, even most thugs and crims are not so stupid as to wait around for it.

[buddysmellgood]

2. By this logic, anyone who is for concealed carry is sanctioning

those who intentionally or accidentally kill with their concealed weapon.

Anyone who is against concealed carry of firearms is against this kind of scenario playing out as it did, and instead would prefer that weaker victims be at the mercy of those stronger than they are.

[Kolesar]

3. The "Rambo" fantasy ... eom

[PavePusher]

6. Well except for the facts of reality....

yeah, whutevah.

[MicaelS]

7. Rambo is fantasy, this incident is reality

That you fail to differentiate between the two show exactly how you brain "works".

[rl6214]

9. The "moron" response...eom

[ileus]

10. you mean "moran"... :)

[Kolesar]

11. One toadie

count the toadies

[Hoyt]

13. I suggest being more careful where you go. But glad the Ensign was there in this case.

[friendly_iconoclast]

22. Oh, absolutely! We wouldn't want any criminals endangered by armed self-defense.

Self-defense is so....Neanderthal:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=118&topic_id=431497&mesg_id=431706

[Hoyt]

24. Guy said he was partying in "bad section of town." To keep from having to pack, I'd party elsewhere.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

25. Your number one Option...

...for Personal Security is a lifelong commitment to avoidance, deterrence, and de-escalation.

However, sometimes trouble finds you. What's the Boy Scout motto...?

[Hoyt]

27. Boy scouts don't carry guns in public.

[friendly_iconoclast]

29. I should hope so, most of them are under 18.

However:






http://www.scoutingbsa.org/programs/boyscouts/merit_badges/Rifle_shooting.html




http://www.scoutingbsa.org/programs/boyscouts/merit_badges/Shotgun_Shooting.html

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

30. re: Boy scouts

Your aversion to preparedness is noted and not surprising.


BTW, the scouts who have become LEOs (I suppose they would be former scouts) probably carry in public.

[Glassunion]

31. Boy Scouts

http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/GSS/gss07.aspx

[beevul]

32. Or maybe sit down in a quiet lubys restaurant.

Doh.

:rofl:

[SteveW]

34. The economy the way it is, that "bad section" is spreading. nt

[NewMoonTherian]

15. I don't feel like "sanctioning" is the proper term.

More along the lines of accepting as negative effects of a positive concept.

Also, when you mention CCW holders intentionally killing, are you referring to murder, or self-defense? If it's the latter, I would certainly say that I sanction that.

I agree, however, that the line you quoted may be painting with too broad a brush. I'd like to presume both sides have the goal of public safety at heart, and have come to different conclusions regarding how best to serve that end.

[SteveW]

35. Really. This was an act of self-defense, not social policy in action. nt

[safeinOhio]

4. In other old news

Attempted kidnapping, carrying a concealed weapon while intoxicated, and resisting arrest
http://missoulian.com/articles/2009/07/21/news/local/news05.txt
Wye, Montana - David William Larsen, a concealed carry permit holder, attempted to carjack by gunpoint a vehicle which contained three small children. As the mother and aunt fought the man, he attempted to pull his firearm from his ankle holster. Passersby contained the man until police came but when police arrived, he once again attempted to utilize his gun. Luckily, no one was injured.

[Atypical Liberal]

5. Bad people will do bad things.

Bad people will continue to do bad things. But we can't disallow good people do do good things with firearms out of the fear of what bad people might do with them. All that would accomplish is put weak people at the mercy of stronger people.

[buddysmellgood]

12. When do they turn from good to bad?

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

14. Just wait and see.

That's what wisdom dictates.

[Katya Mullethov]

21. Be polite to everyone you meet

And always have a plan to kill everyone in the room .

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

23. Watch their hands. Hands kill.

(In God we trust. Everyone else, keep your hands where I can see them).

;)

[GreenStormCloud]

16. Crime by CCW holders is rare and you know it.

Texas publishes annual statistics of ALL felonies committed by their CHL holders. In 2009 there were 460,000+ CHLs, with only 101 convictions of CHL holders. Most of those were for non-violent offenses. We are far safer than the general public and you know it.

[safeinOhio]

17. Crime by ALL law abiding citizens is low,

and of course you know that too. Having a CCW makes no difference among those that already obey and follow the law.

[buddysmellgood]

18. Criminals are law-abiding when they're not committing crime.

[tortoise1956]

19. OOH! OOH! OOH! I wanna do it!

"The sun is above the horizon as long as it's daytime."

See, ANYONE can make an absurd statement that uses circular logic.

And BTW, once a criminal has committed a crime, he has become a criminal even if he is law-abiding afterward, or in-between crimes.

[buddysmellgood]

26. Let he who hath no crime shoot the first bullet.

[GreenStormCloud]

20. That's why CCWs are only issued (Most states) AFTER an FBI background check.

It is to make sure that the CCWers are already law-abiding type people. Yet you post stories of the occasional violator in an attempt to smear all of us.

[eqfan592]

28. I don't think that anybody is arguing that...

...having a CCW permit is what is making somebody a more law abiding citizen. It's the simple statistical fact that the segment of the population that chooses to get their concealed carry permit is a more law abiding segment of the population than the general population as a whole. Significantly so, in fact.

[ileus]

8. We're all for CC safety first, helpless victim later.

I try never to leave home without my safety devices.