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There are few issues as divisive as how best to control firearms. To the pro-gun crowd, those seeking stronger gun control measures are cowards and weaklings, statist Liberal automatons out to rip private property out of the hands of “real” Canadians. To the anti-gun group, gun owners are paranoid hicks, who cling to their guns as a substitute for their other failings: mental, social and masculine. Both sides have some articulate spokespersons, but reasonable debates are few and far between. Instead, we’re left with two irreconcilable groups shouting names at each other. It’s almost as bad as Parliament. As a firearms owner myself, I have some skin in the game, and do my best to speak with my ideological opponents in a respectful, forthright manner, hoping to persuade them that if I’m not a fascist psychopath, then maybe the whole gun owner stereotype is wrong. Sometimes, events outpace attempts at rational debate. In 2007, Texan Joe Horn called 911 after seeing two men robbing his neighbour’s home. Despite being ordered by the dispatcher to remain in his home, Mr. Horn went out and confronted the two robbers as they tried to make good their escape by crossing his lawn. Horn shot both of them dead. Some called Horn a hero. Others viewed him as a murderer, a wannabe vigilante just itching for a chance to use his gun. Some even said he was a racist since both robbers were black. Listening to the recording of Horn’s 911 call left me conflicted. He defended the property of his neighbour and took two criminals off the streets — obviously a good thing. Still, Horn played into the stereotype I’ve tried to counter: An older, male southerner blew away two black men with a shotgun when he didn’t absolutely have to. He might have been justified — the authorities felt so, laying no charges — but it didn’t help win any hearts and minds amidst the anti-gun crowd. A few weeks ago, however, the anti-Horn moment happened. Donna Jackson, 57, of Oklahoma, was woken by her barking dog shortly after midnight. A man was circling her home, pounding on the doors and windows, screaming. Jackson telephoned police and provided a running commentary on the man’s actions. Her words were remarkably calm and clear, keeping the police informed as to where the man was and politely asking for swift assistance. Over the course of the call, Jackson retreated deeper into her home and armed herself with a shotgun. She said one thing over and over: “I don’t want to kill this man.” On the recording, you can hear her warn police that the man has broken into the house. She yells at the intruder to leave. A moment later, the sound of a shot rings out and Jackson returns to the phone, distraught and asking God’s forgiveness for having had to fire. The intruder, a man with a long history of alcohol- and drug-related convictions, was under the influence of as yet undetermined substances when he entered Jackson’s home. Hit once in the chest, he died. There are many lessons to be taken from this incident. Canadian feminists, typically among the loudest anti-gun voices, should consider carefully the case of a woman home alone, trapped with a deranged individual, with only a firearm to defend herself. No doubt the local police will want to examine their 911 response protocols — Jackson was on the phone for 10 minutes, and no rescue came. But most of all, those who think that gun owners are vigilantes-in-waiting, daydreaming about finally getting a chance to shoot someone, listen to that 911 call. Listen to Jackson’s voice. If that doesn’t open your mind, even the tiniest bit, no reasonable debate ever could. National Post
Read more: http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2009/12/22/matt-gurney-the-911-call-that-might-change-gun-control-activists-minds.aspx#ixzz0aSwVFMiu
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