ENID, OKLAHOMA — A son had been drinking out in Enid, last Friday, when he got into an argument with his 74 year-old dad. According to KRMG, The argument escalated and the son got a machete. The father, who had a .22 caliber pistol nearby, shot his son in the abdomen. The son was reported to be in critical condition and the parents were treated for minor puncture wounds.
As absolutely fearsome as it is to have to face your own flesh and blood in a life or death situation, it’s unfortunately a true scenario some gun owners will be faced with. Just recently, a man shot his brother and cousin at a barbecue in Memphis, Tennessee over the Fourth of July weekend. It just goes to show some people can’t handle their alcohol and alcohol and firearms (and machetes) don’t mix.
But, let’s be clear: it’s not the alcohol and it’s not the weapon (machete, in this case) making the poor decisions – it’s the person who wields them. And for all those who say a .22 can’t do the job, well, have them come on over and reference this story.
That father did the best he could by not outright killing his own son and nobody – and I mean nobody – wants to deal with a drunk person wielding a machete. He’s a danger to himself and others. As hard a decision as it must have been to take out the .22 pistol and put a bullet in his son’s abdomen, it would have been much worse if he hadn’t.
Have you ever had to deal with violent family members wielding weapons in an altered state of mind? How’d you de-escalate this situation? Tell us about it in the comments below.