GUN STUPIDITY

A white police officer shoots and kills a 16-year old black girl attempting to stab a 13-year old black girl.  It’s incredible how many high profile sports, entertainment, political and news media figures suddenly become experts on how the police officer should have acted to avoid killing the knife wielding girl.  Some said he could have fired a warning shot.  Others said he could have shot the assailant in the leg.  How stupid can these people be?  First, a warning shot doesn’t stop the charge of a knife wielding assailant intent on stabbing the victim.  Besides the warning shot could hit some innocent person.  Second, some said to shoot the girl in  the leg and not kill her.  A leg is a small target.  Besides it’s usually a moving target which makes it even more difficult to hit.  Any stray bullets could hit some innocent person, or missed shots could ricky-shay off the sidewalk or driveway and hit some innocent person.  Hitting a determined assailant in the leg or arm doesn’t necessarily stop or slow them down.

Years ago when my wife first started her business she had a small open rented space in a strip shopping mall next to a dry cleaning establishment that also did custom tailoring.  My wife had been there about a month.  I was there on a Saturday to help.  We suddenly heard a gun  shot.  We cautiously looked out the window just in time to see a man stagger and fall in front of the shop bleeding profusely.  My wife quickly called 911.  The police were there in about three minutes.  The guy was dead.  The lady worker in the dry cleaners was shot one time in the head. She was stunned but still alive.  The police immediately began to save her.  EMS was there in a few minutes to take over and take her to the hospital.  What had happened?  An  ex-husband entered the cleaner shop and demanded his ex-wife give him her paycheck.  She refused.  A tussle ensued to get the check.  He shot her in the head.  She grabbed a handy pair of  large tailor scissors and stabbed him in the neck severing his aorta artery.  Over time we checked with the clearers people about her condition.  She survived and recovered but was partially crippled for life due to brain damage. The point being that if you shoot someone they don’t necessarily die immediately and can sometimes retaliate with dire consequences.