Could a homeowner's gun have saved this woman's life?

[peacefuljeffrey 0]

Here is a case in which I think a homeowner bringing a gun to the situation might possibly have saved a young woman's life.

Woman killed right in front of couple

If this woman was able to rush back toward the Coffeys, had Mr. or Mrs. Coffey been armed, they might have been able to keep Seay at bay, either by warning him that they were armed, or by firing at him. Even after he fired the first shot into Yurksis' back, she might have survived had the Coffeys been able to repel him as he walked up and fired several more shots into her.

I guess they were better off not having a gun -- having to stand there and watch a murder helplessly. I wonder if they feared that he might decide to kill them, too. I wonder how it felt to know that they lived or died depending solely on Seay's whim at that moment. They probably stood there, frozen, until he stormed away leaving his dead girlfriend on the ground in her own blood.

-Jeffrey

-Jeffrey
"With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"

[Ron 10]

Don't be silly...

Don't you know the aswer to this kind of problem is to make it illegal for the couple to have a gun?

I mean if they were not able to have a gun, then the criminal in this case would not be allowed one either?

Remember, GUNs are the problem...Not crazy ex boyfriends wanting to kill people.

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

[Botellines 0]

How is it to always be scared of the people? Don´t you get tired of thinking that maybe you will be the next one murdered? Why do you skydive? aren´t you afraid to be the next one with a double mal?

Do you have so many enemies?

[rushmc 23]

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How is it to always be scared of the people? Don´t you get tired of thinking that maybe you will be the next one murdered? Why do you skydive? aren´t you afraid to be the next one with a double mal?

Do you have so many enemies?

Strange point you make here.........

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

[nacmacfeegle 0]

Dunno, maybe, maybe not, it depends on the time frame between the lass knocking on the door, and her ultimate demise.
"They probably stood there, frozen, until he stormed away leaving his dead girlfriend on the ground in her own blood."
Maybe someone should sue this couple for not owning a gun that might have resulted in the prevention of this killing?

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He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

[AggieDave 6]

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How is it to always be scared of the people? Don´t you get tired of thinking that maybe you will be the next one murdered? Why do you skydive? aren´t you afraid to be the next one with a double mal?

Do you have so many enemies?

Whats it like to be blind to the dangers surrounding your life? Don't you get tired of not being prepared and then becoming the next victum?

Do you realize that you have a lot of enemies and they don't even know you, they're complete strangers that want to do harm to you just to get what you own?

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[white_falcon 0]

Now everyone keep in mind, that no matter how MANY PEOPLE ACTUALLY WITNESSED THIS that the guy is NOT GUILTY, only ACCUSED.

We certainly should not condemn this poor man, I mean, obviously its a case of mistaken identity, and even if its not, if the cops forgot to read him his rights or something, he DESERVES and aquittal, and certainly, under NO circumstances should we send this poor, misguided individual to prison for the rest of his life, we won't even discuss the death penalty.

Oh, the horrors, that poor young man being accused of such a terrible thing.

(in case anyone missed the SCATHING SARCASM here, I personally think the state should waive the trial and summarily execute the bas___d.)

Now, to answer the question, I'm not sure a gun would have necessarily prevented this. It is my PERSONAL experience that it is much harder in actuality to pull the trigger than to talk about it. I'm not sure the "average" homeowner / citizen has the mentality (i'm not sure thats the right word) to actually pull the trigger when it comes down to it. Especially when it is not themselves or a close loved one who is in peril.

That said, I personally believe that EVERY homeowner should keep a LOADED gun in the home. It would definitely give the scumbags in our society a reason to pause anyway.

Scott

[TomAiello 26]

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How is it to always be scared of the people?

Hmmm. You mean scared of them enough not to trust them with firearms?

-- Tom Aiello

Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[Botellines 0]

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Whats it like to be blind to the dangers surrounding your life?

Why do you assume I am blind to those dangers?

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Don't you get tired of not being prepared and then becoming the next victum?

Actually no, because although i have been robbed several times, there has not been any situation that a gun would have helped me more than my legs.

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Do you realize that you have a lot of enemies and they don't even know you, they're complete strangers that want to do harm to you just to get what you own?

No, they want to get what i own, the harm part is a supposition of yours. Given the option beetwen losing my wallet, my watch, and my shoes or having to pull out a gun, and kill someone, i prefer to loose just money. If someone attempt to rob me, and i cannot beat the crap out of him for whatever reason, i will give him my personal belongings and call the police. I don´t want to make the commitment to carry a firearm with me 24/7 just in case one day someone is going to rob me and i don´t want to loose 300$ worth of belongings.
I now that you are pro-gun, do you carry a loaded weapon close to you 24/7 just in case? Do you carry it everywhere risking to loose it? because if not, what good would it make a gun if you leave it at home and you get robbed in the street?

IMO to have a gun for self defence is a commitment and respnsability to great for just what ifs.

[Botellines 0]

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How is it to always be scared of the people?

Hmmm. You mean scared of them enough not to trust them with firearms?

i am not so scared of armed people to also buy a gun to try to defend myself, if that is what you mean.

You know, with great power comes great responsability, and there is many people out there who i don´t think are responsible enough to own a firearm. A DZ.commer threated me once to shoot me, go figure!!!!

[kaerock 1]

Do you think it's a better use of time preparing to become the next victim than to actually try to fix the reason you might ever be a victim at all? Precious energy spent on touting your right to bear arms could be better spent fixing the problems in this society that would give people a reason to need to protect themselves. Why not strive to improve jobs, education, health care and mental health care...the things that would minimize the seeds for violent crime. Someone locking themselves up in their house with their cache of firepower makes them a nut job, part of the problem, they probably could've benefited from that lobbying for more mental health care. We only have so many people with so much time that they can spend not working or taking care of families, we should spend that time most effectively, working at the root of the problem, not ignoring it and focusing on what's easy. Eliminate the things that cause crime, then you can live life not in fear of crime.

-R

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How is it to always be scared of the people? Don´t you get tired of thinking that maybe you will be the next one murdered? Why do you skydive? aren´t you afraid to be the next one with a double mal?

Do you have so many enemies?

Whats it like to be blind to the dangers surrounding your life? Don't you get tired of not being prepared and then becoming the next victum?

Do you realize that you have a lot of enemies and they don't even know you, they're complete strangers that want to do harm to you just to get what you own?

You be the king and I'll overthrow your government. --KRS-ONE

[nacmacfeegle 0]

There will now be a brief sidetrack....

"If you know what life is worth -- you'll look for yours right here on Earth.
-Peter Tosh "

Not only, but also.....

"We're sick and tired of your ism and skism game
Die and go to heaven in Jesus' name, Lord
We know when we understand
Almighty God is a living man
You can fool some people sometimes
But you can't fool all the people all the time
So now we see the light
We gonna stand up for our right"

Shouldn't Bob be credited with the lines as well as Pete though.

Back to the guns folks....

"Eliminate the things that cause crime, then you can live life not in fear of crime."
Yay.

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He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

[AggieDave 6]

I've seen too many punks pulling knives and shit on people to get what they want. I've even had a gun pulled on me before.

I've had enough experience to know that in that situation, my life is worth more then theirs. Someone comes after me, my life is in danger as well as possibly my fiance's life, thus the perp's life is now in severe danger (it is if I'm armed or not).

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[PhillyKev 0]

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How is it to always be scared of the people? Don´t you get tired of thinking that maybe you will be the next one murdered? Why do you skydive? aren´t you afraid to be the next one with a double mal?

Do you have so many enemies?

What is it like to always be scared of a mal on your main chute? Don't you get tired of thinking that you will be the next one with a mal? Why do you skydive? Aren't you afraid to be the next one with a mal?

Or maybe, do you prepare for that possibility by also wearing a reserve?

[kaerock 1]

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You know, with great power comes great responsability, and there is many people out there who i don´t think are responsible enough to own a firearm. A DZ.commer threated me once to shoot me, go figure!!!!

Let me guess, you out-reasoned him and he felt threatened by your logical (and probably correct) argument?

I hope someone removed the stick from his ass for you :>

-R

You be the king and I'll overthrow your government. --KRS-ONE

[kallend 2,150]

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I've seen too many punks pulling knives and shit on people to get what they want. I've even had a gun pulled on me before.

I've had enough experience to know that in that situation, my life is worth more then theirs. Someone comes after me, my life is in danger as well as possibly my fiance's life, thus the perp's life is now in severe danger (it is if I'm armed or not).

I'm 3 times older than you and I've worked on the south side of Chicago for longer than you've been alive, and this has not happened to me - ever.

Maybe you need a change of lifestyle rather than a gun.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[rickjump1 0]

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I've seen too many punks pulling knives and shit on people to get what they want. I've even had a gun pulled on me before.

I've had enough experience to know that in that situation, my life is worth more then theirs. Someone comes after me, my life is in danger as well as possibly my fiance's life, thus the perp's life is now in severe danger (it is if I'm armed or not).

I think life is like flying: hours and hours of boredom punctuated by brief moments of getting scared shitless. Carry a gun if you want, but if you have to deal with that many criminals that many times, I would move. I did not say run. I would move away from those scumbags for peace of mind. Keep your gun handy.

Do your part for global warming: ban beans and hold all popcorn farts.

[kelel01 1]

Do you have a gun on your person at all times? If not, (like I wouldn't, if I owned one-- I'm not gonna carry it in my purse) I seriously doubt it would help. If the gun wasn't within arm's reach, then NO, having one would not have saved her life. It doesn't take long for someone to shoot someone else. I doubt he stood over her, fired one shot, waited five minutes and fired another, giving them time to run upstairs to get their gun (if they had one).

[AggieDave 6]

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I'm 3 times older than you and I've worked on the south side of Chicago for longer than you've been alive, and this has not happened to me - ever.

Maybe you need a change of lifestyle rather than a gun.

I'm glad that you use practically every opportunity to attempt to prove that you're a "better person" then I am, its really starting to look pathetic, since you have nothing to prove to me, basically I don't give a shit about what you do and who you are.


Just because I've been "lucky" you're implying that I live a life on the edge of lawlessness in scum bag towns?

All of my life I've lived in the "good" part of the towns I've lived in. The times I've been in the "bad parts" of Dallas, Houston and San Antonio (for example) nothing, not a thing has happened. The instances I've seen and unfortunately been involved in were in the "good part" of town and were surprising.

It comes down to it will happen no matter where you live and what you do and even if you have a "good" lifestyle.


Have considered that you haven't seen some of these things because you have your blinders on? That's what it sounds like to me, having spent literally 1/2 of my life training my body and myself in different forms of self defense armed and unarmed, I've found myself to be extremely aware of my surroundings.


A story for you to enjoy if you wish.

About 10pm on a Wednesday when I was 17 I was driving home from my IT job. Passing by the Dairy Queen a few blocks from my parents home I saw Eric, a friend of mine struggling with someone in the parking lot. As I pulled a quick U turn in my VW I noticed the knife in the perp's hand. Eric was the assistant manager of the Dairy Queen and had been taking the day's money to his car to take to the night drop box at the bank.

His life in immediate danger (the state of Texas considers any person armed with an edged weapon to be a leathal threat when within 20ft), I forced the perp to drop the money and run by threatening with my VW Beetle. Did I hit him? Nope. Did he decide not to cut/stab my friend? Yup. He decided that not getting hit by a car was more important then trying to potentially fatally harm someone for money.

What did the cops think? They thought it was quick thinking and good awareness, basically a good job on my part.

Where was that?

That was in my home town of Sherman, Texas. 30,000 people live there, basically a small town with good country people. That Dairy Queen is on the west side of town a couple blocks from my parents home. That side of town and especially that area is a middle class and up area, a low crime part of town.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[JohnRich 4]

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How is it to always be scared of the people? Don´t you get tired of thinking that maybe you will be the next one murdered?

Just because one owns a gun for self defense, does not mean that they live their lives in fear of being attacked by a murderer.

Just because one wears a seat belt while driving, does not mean that they live their lives in fear of being involved in an auto accident.

Just because one keeps a fire extinguisher in their home, does not mean that they live their lives in fear of having their house burn down.

Just because one has medical insurance, does not mean that they live their lives in fear of becoming sick.

Just because one skydives with a parachute rig containing a reserve parachute, does not mean that they live their lives in fear of having a main parachute malfunction.

[billvon 3,119]

> Could a homeowner's gun have saved this woman's life?

Or it could have ended the homeowner's life _and_ the woman's life, if the resulting gun battle proved the assailant was the better shot. A good pair of running shoes and a cellphone may have also saved this woman's life, as would some training in self-defense, or even some better judgement before the incident began.

Every incident like this is the result of many mistakes; sort of like a skydiving incident. The answer to preventing drunken-skydiving fatalities is not to require drunk skydivers to use AAD's, just as the answer to domestic violence is not to arm all the people in the vicinity. AAD's may help keep you alive, of course, just as guns may help protect you from harm. But they are far from a solution.

[JohnRich 4]

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Actually no, because although i have been robbed several times, there has not been any situation that a gun would have helped me more than my legs.

Some people can't outrun their attackers, like my 78-year-old Mom. Should she just meekly forfeit her life to an attacker, because you don't trust her with a handgun?

You are fortunate to be young and swift enough, and lucky enough to be in situations were running could save you. Not all crime victims are that fortunate. Some day you may be backed into a corner, or too weak and feeble to run. What then?

Here are thousands of stories of people who have successfully used guns for self-defense:

The NRA's "Armed Citizen" files:
http://www.nraila.org/ArmedCitizen/Default.aspx

The KABR "Operation Self Defense" files:
http://www.keepandbeararms.com/opsd/

[JohnRich 4]

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> Could a homeowner's gun have saved this woman's life?

Or it could have ended the homeowner's life _and_ the woman's life, if the resulting gun battle proved the assailant was the better shot.

A self-defense gun would have given her a chance to save her life. As it was, she had no chance. I will always choose to have a chance, rather than to have no chance.

AAD's sometimes malfunction, and have cost lives in the past. Does that mean that it is foolish to use an AAD? Air bags have been known to kill children and small adults. Does that mean that it is foolish to have air bags in cars?

[billvon 3,119]

>A self-defense gun would have given her a chance to save her life.

So would the ability to disable the guy in the car, as would the ability to run very fast. Had both had guns, both might be dead now - and although I wouldn't lose any sleep over the guy's death, it certainly wouldn't have helped her.

>AAD's sometimes malfunction, and have cost lives in the past. Does that
> mean that it is foolish to use an AAD?

Not at all! But to claim that AAD's can solve the problem of drunk skydivers dying is like claiming that guns can solve the problems of domestic violence. Does it make any sense to say that there is no problem with drunk skydiving as long as you have an AAD? If a skydiver decides that skydiving drunk is OK because he has an AAD, has owning the AAD helped him or hurt him?

>Air bags have been known to kill children and small adults.

I think people should be able to buy guns, air bags and AAD's to their heart's content. If anyone buys a gun to protect themselves against a potential domestic violence situation, my advice would be to get the hell out of that house before you need the gun! It makes as much sense as planning to drive drunk and so getting a car with airbags.

[CanuckInUSA 0]

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If the gun wasn't within arm's reach, then NO, having one would not have saved her life.

LOL ... that's twice this week where I proclaim that ... Kelly wins ... How many gun owners have their gun on them 24/7 ready to defend themselves in the very instant that it may be needed?

PS: Please keep me out of the inevitable gun versus gun control flaming that I know some people would love to throw at me. I just wanted to respond to Kelly's ever so rational response.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over