Canadian Man Defends Home From Firebombing, Now Faces Jail

[Mynock]

It's not often I'll get riled up about a news article enough to post it around the net, but seriously, if I hadn't gotten to this from the NRA's website I'd have had a hard time believing it was real......
http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/01/20 ... attackers/
This guy wakes up to 3 dudes in ski masks throwing molotov cocktails at his house (while he's insided it) goes outside with a pistol (that he had to remove from a gunsafe and load first) and fires off a few rounds, driving away the attackers.
He's been charged with (1) count of careless use of a firearm, (1) count of pointing a firearm (whatever the fuck that means) and (2) counts of careless storage of a firearm (unloaded in a safe is considered careless?!?). In the meantime they're yanked his liscense and confiscated his guns.
Hey Canada, seriously, what the fucking fuck?!?!

[kham]

Its Niagara Regional -- the crown is not exactly known for competency in the area....


Suspect this wont get too far in the courts, since there IS existing law that covers it - the firearms charges are just a chickenshit smokescreen from the crown, who likely pushing some agenda.

[bbjohn]

It sounds to me like there could be a prosecutor (or prosecutors) who is trying to make a name for himself or herself. If this individual insists on moving this case forward, that name could be "Mud." From what I read, you'd have a hard time persuading a jury this was not an act of justified self-defense.

The only thing worse than a grandstanding defense attorney is a grandstanding prosecutor.

Big Bad John

[Nessie]

[deleted, accidental double post.]

[Nessie]

This part is especially something (else):

"Mr. Burlew, a Toronto-area lawyer whose practice mainly consists of firearms-related charges, said he is trying to hire a psychiatrist to prove that Mr. Thomson feared for his life when he grabbed his revolver."

Let's see, guys are lobbing molotov cocktails at my house while I'm inside it...and to prove that I've got something to worry about for real, they got to bring in a PSYCHIATRIST?

Nessie

[jagfiles]

What kind of world is it where we can't even defend ourselves in our own homes?

[YerK]

I think people should be allowed to defend their homes. I also agree that throwing flammable liquids at a home that people are inside equals an attempt at murder.

Here's another example of a news article that disturbs me:
http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert ... instream-m

[nachtjaeger]

What kind of world is it when we need to? In the words of Bill Watterson (creator of "Calvin & Hobbes"), "A man's home is his castle, but it shouldn't have to be a fortress." A friend of mine said something thought-provoking the other day; "When it's time to bury the guns- that's the time to dig them up."

This Canadian gentleman is a saint. If someone had attempted to firebomb a building that I was inside, and I had access to a firearm, they wouldn't have gotten off so lightly. In certain parts of the US, the incident wouldn't have been reported to the police, for the reasons detailed in the article. The homeowner would have used the "Three Ss" doctrine on the murderous arsonists; shoot, shovel and shut up.

One is reminded of the lady who was brutally raped by an intruder, and then after he was finished, retrieved her legal and properly stored firearm and shot him in the back as he was walking out the door. She was arrested for murder.

What kind of world is it where we can't even defend ourselves in our own homes?

[Mynock]

^^I remember that series--that was the one where Calvin's house got robbed.
All I can say in response is it's a sick, sad world sometimes man. I treat my HD and CCW guns the same way I treat my smoke alarm. I make sure they stay in working order and pray to God I never have to put them to use. The thought of shooting another human being horrifies me but if it comes down to me and my family/friends or the shithead kicking in my door I know who's side I'll be on.
Honestly, I think the only mistake that guy made was firing warning shots. I'd have opened the front door and just dropped all three of them no questions asked.

[newtothis2]

Yikes!!!! I live in Colorado and they have a pretty well defined line when it come to defending oneself with deadly force. The "make my day" law states that the "intruder" must cross the threshold of the home (either door or window) to justify deadly force. I actually had a co-worker that this happened to and he was cleared of any wrongdoing at all. So I'm not sure how and incident like that would fly here, be interesting to follow for sure.

I'm with you Mynock, the only crime here is that three perpetrators escaped. Too bad, in my earlier years I scoffed at the whole NRA crowd, now I applaud them and their efforts to maintain the 2nd amendment and do it in a way that educates people, not plays on their fears. I will soon be teaching both my teenage daughters how to both shoot a gun and respect it in a way that serves them rather than scares them.