WISSINOMING, WEST VIRGINIA — When a 21-year-old was getting ready to leave his home at around 12:10 a.m., he encountered an armed 29-year-old pressing a gun on him and forcing him back indoors. Once inside the armed intruder soon discovered there was a second 29-year-old man inside the home. He demanded cash and jewelry from the two men. Believing his gun would work as sufficient threat of force to get what he wanted, he ended up learning that a gun — in of itself — is just a tool. That tool can be taken away by force.
As Philly.com reported, police say that the two male occupants rushed the armed intruder. During the scuffle, the 21-year-old left the fray to go get a handgun of his own. When he came back, the intruder had regained control of the gun. Pointing his own handgun at the intruder’s head, he gave him an opportunity to surrender. When the intruder instead turned his gun on the young man, he was shot once in the head.
Police arrived and took him to a nearby hospital where he is listed in critical condition. A mother and her two children were also in the home at the time but were asleep during the ensuing melee. None of them were harmed.
A gun is just a tool. It is impartial to the situation. It doesn’t hold grudges or hate anyone. When a bad guy thinks that a gun can do all the talking for him, he obviously lives in a world of delusion. Walking into another man’s home with him held at gunpoint gives the victim all the indication he needs that the bad guy intends to use deadly force.
It’s no longer a question of compliance. It’s the very real threat of death. And when people are placed into that situation, some of them will choose to fight — because the stakes are already so high there is no sense in not trying.
The young man took a real risk leaving the fray to get his own gun but he obviously knew that if the fight kept going, the threat of the bad guy regaining control enough to fire a round was going to grow by the moment. And with two children and a woman in a nearby room, those loose rounds could mean a lot more harm to others.
He made the brave call. Do what has to be done.
West Virginia is now a permitless concealed carry state. That means that so long as a person has a right to own a gun, he or she can carry it. But even with that going in the average citizen’s favor, many will just assume it’s not needed. After all, what’s the chance that tonight — of all nights — is going to be the night an armed stranger shows up on your doorstep, gun in hand, pointed at you?
We can discuss statistical likelihood. We can pull out charts, graphs, and lots of pictures to demonstrate that for the vast majority of Americans, this will never be the case.
All it takes is one time. Will tonight be your one?
Carry everywhere, even in the home, and especially when you think you don’t need it.