Some thoughts on stories found by Mama Liberty and others:

Self-defense NOT
Police: Shoplifter kills Wal-Mart security employee, then self
(NBC News)
Mama’s Note: These “security” people are not armed of course, and there’s no guarantee that this would have turned out differently if they were, but it sure wouldn’t have hurt…

Nathan’s comments: Despite allowing open and concealed carry in its stores, Wal-Mart still displays the common insanity of too much of America’s retail sector and thinks that by prohibiting their employees and managers from being armed they will prevent bad things from happening.  If a weapon can reduce the danger to employees just two times out of a hundred incidents, EVEN if a weapon might make a situation worse one time out of a hundred incidents (although the ratio is MUCH bigger), then store employees should have access to and carry weapons to defend themselves, their fellow employees, customers and innocent by-standers.

Culture wars: killing children
Florida Sheriff: Mother kills 2 kids, then hangs herself
(NBC News)
Mama’s Note: Mass insanity in Florida now?

Nathan’s thoughts: At first, I attributed this sort of thing to the “rats in a cage” syndrome:  too many rats in a small cage leads to murderous, self-destructive, and horrific behavior, like eating their own young.  But then I realized, this is not due to overpopulation or urban complex pressures as much as it is a result of what the society and schools and too many groups are teaching: life is worthless; the human race is evil and destroying the planet; children are fair game inside the womb for predators, and why not outside as well?  But in all but the most depraved, guilt can cause the perpetrator of the death of these two children to kill herself as well, as if one life can make up for taking of the other two.

Local tyranny – stupid cops
Texas: Houston cop murders man in wheelchair
(Detroit Free Press)
“A Houston police officer has fatally shot a one-armed, one-legged man in a wheelchair after police say the double amputee waved a metal object that turned out to be a pen.” (09/23/12)

Nathan’s thoughts: Carl had reported this to me this weekend, because of the tie with “Deadly Assault Pens” that we had used to raise awareness of the Liberty Round Table years ago.  But this cop (who has killed before) seems to have over-reacted, given the setting in an assisted-living home and the general circumstances.  If his nerves are this badly shot, he should have been pulled off the street a long time ago.

Self defense
Wisconsin: Woman scares off burglar
(WMTV News)
“The investigation revealed that the resident, while investigating the sound of footsteps, was confronted by a masked intruder, who attempted to use a form of pepper spray on her. In response to this, the resident, who had armed herself with a handgun, fired several shots at the intruder, who subsequently fled the residence on foot. The resident was not injured during this incident.” (09/23/12)

Nathan’s thoughts: Aha!  The tables are turned.  Usually it is the victim that tries foolishly to use pepper spray, NOT the criminal.

Self defense
Utah: Gunman dies from gunshot wounds
(KSL News)
“Just before 2:30 p.m. Friday, a gunman at Francis Peak Apartments, located at 600 West Mutton Hollow Road in Kaysville, shot 51-year-old maintenance manager Steve Bailey multiple times, ’emptying the clip’ and critically wounding him. Witnesses report that Bailey witnessed a domestic dispute between a man and woman in a common area of the apartment complex and tried to intervene when the man shot Bailey at close range. Police report that an armed witness shot at the gunman, but it is unknown at this time if those gunshots were those that caused the suspect’s death.” (09/21/12)

Nathan’s thoughts: Heaven forbid that the cops admit that an armed by-stander could intervene and take out the aggressor.  Much less possibly prevent yet ANOTHER “mass murder” because the aggressor then proceeded to attack others in the vicinity of the apartments.  And heaven forbid that a maintenance manager of a large apartment complex think that HE might need to be able to defend himself – especially before intervening in a “dispute.”