A good idiot with a gun

[Bob Juch]

http://www.fox2detroit.com/news/local-n ... 0613-story

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (WJBK) - What do you do if you come home from work and confront a guy that broke into your house? Or it's late at night and you hear someone breaking into your car and that person tries to attack you? Experts say those are no-brainers. In both cases you have the right to shoot. And in other cases, it ought to be crystal clear when you cannot.

Some firearm experts say the woman in Auburn Hills was wrong to open fire in the Home Depot parking lot, shooting at a shoplifting suspect's getaway vehicle.

"There could have been a 4-year-old child coming out of Home Depot with their grandparent," says Tanisha Moner, a CPL instructor.

"You can't shoot at moving cars. You can't shoot at people retreating. You can't do that," Moner says. FOX 2 asked her when gun owners have the legal right to shoot.

FOX 2: "If I see a guy running out of my house with my flat screen TV, what do I do?"

"I hope you have insurance," Moner says.

FOX 2: "But I've got my gun."

Moner: "You call the police."

She says you can only shoot someone when you are defending yourself or someone else from the threat of great bodily harm, rape or death. But if someone put a pistol to your pet's head, you're also advised not to play Rambo and try to rescue Rover.

[silverscreenselect]

I wouldn't call this person a good idiot. I'd call her a completely irresponsible reckless idiot. By the way, the suspects got away.

FOX 2: "If I see a guy running out of my house with my flat screen TV, what do I do?"

"I hope you have insurance," Moner says.

I don't think there are very many people out there who would run back into their burning home to try to get their flat screen TV, but they think nothing of getting into a potential deadly confrontation with a person stealing something.

[TheConfessor]

Laws vary by state. Since this article is about Michigan, I would first ask the Michigan Bar Association what to do.

[mrkelley23]

In my little city, a good Samaritan was recently cleared of any charges in a case where two young female thugs strong-armed (actually strong-armed; they snuck up and one of them hit her while the other wrenched the purse from her) an 80 year-old woman in the parking lot of a mall, knocking her down in the process. They then attempted to speed off in a vehicle, and said armed citizen took several shots at their fleeing car. He did not hit the thugs, but was cleared of any charges because the women were "driving recklessly, and caused a clear danger to the pedestrians in the parking lot.

I'm awfully glad he didn't hit anyone else.

Here's the story, in case you want to read it.

[TheMichiganBarAssociation]

Laws vary by state. Since this article is about Michigan, I would first ask the Michigan Bar Association what to do.

We are defending the flat screen TV...

[Bob Juch]

She's now been charged with reckless use, handling or discharge of a firearm.

[tlynn78]

She's now been charged with reckless use, handling or discharge of a firearm.

Excellent. She should be. Wait .. so, you're saying there's laws, and means to punish the careless use of guns!! Who knew!!

[Bob78164]

She's now been charged with reckless use, handling or discharge of a firearm.

Excellent. She should be. Wait .. so, you're saying there's laws, and means to punish the careless use of guns!! Who knew!!

Cold comfort if she'd hit someone other than her target. --Bob

[flockofseagulls104]

She's now been charged with reckless use, handling or discharge of a firearm.

Excellent. She should be. Wait .. so, you're saying there's laws, and means to punish the careless use of guns!! Who knew!!

No not enough. We need to keep adding more common sense laws, whatever they are. Yeah, that's the ticket. The more laws we add, the better everything will be.

[tlynn78]

She's now been charged with reckless use, handling or discharge of a firearm.

Excellent. She should be. Wait .. so, you're saying there's laws, and means to punish the careless use of guns!! Who knew!!

Cold comfort if she'd hit someone other than her target. --Bob

So if it's "cold comfort" those laws are pointless? You cannot legislate stupid. You just can't.