A Study in Guns

Since the SCOTUS 2nd amendment decision came down, gun issues are much in the news, and two recent stories I think are interesting to consider together.

Story 1. A 71 year old marine, with a concealed weapon was in a Subway when it was robbed. When the two thiefs tried to force the man into a bathroom, he pulled out his gun and shot both of them, killing one.

Story 2. In Texas, a man noticed two people stealing things from his neighbor’s house, and shot them both, killing both.

Now, legally, it appears both men were in the right. Morally, I feel the first one was justified use of a gun, while the second was not. I have little sympathy for the thieves who were shot, especially in the first story. But, we (well, most of us) would not allow our court s to impose the death penalty for theft, why is it okay, then, to kill someone for it – which is what the second story is about. There was no danger to the shooter – it wasn’t his house, or his stuff, and there was nothing to suggest they were going to come into his home. Yes, you can argue he didn’t know that, and thought it was safer for him to do a ‘preemptive’ strike, but the facts of this story doesn’t really lend that scenario much credence.

I should note, for the record, that I have zero belief that either incident is going to cause future thieves to pause before they act, wondering if they will get shot. Gun’s are not a deterrent.

And while, arguably, both is a vindication of gun ownership, there are plenty of other stories where the above could have turned out very differently.