Posted: This House Is Gun Free
By Tony DiPasquale (01/13/04)
Yet again we are hearing of a situation in which a homeowner, in an attempt to protect his family, fired at an intruder. Such is the case of Hale DeMar, a homeowner in the Chicago-area, who on December 29 of last year shot Morio Billings. Of course for many Americans this would not be seen as an unusual action to take in order to protect their loved ones. Apparently, Wilmette, Illinois Police Chief George Carpenter thinks otherwise.
On the December night in question, Billings is alleged to have entered DeMar’s house with a key he obtained while breaking in the night before, through a dog door. This is a man who just last year was convicted of a home burglary, yet Chief Carpenter seems more outraged with the behavior of the homeowner than with that of the perpetrator.
According to an article by Lisa Black in the January 9, 2004 edition of the Chicago Tribune, Chief Carpenter was quoted as saying, “The outcome of the matter in this case was very fortunate for the homeowner. We much prefer, for the safety of the home, that a resident who finds himself in this situation immediately lock the door of the room he’s in and dial 911.”
For the safety of the home?!?!?!? Is Chief Carpenter for real? I have always been under the belief that the primary concern of the police was to protect citizens, and then, if possible, property. Thank you Chief Carpenter for clarifying this.
Apparently the Wilmette Police Department’s response times must shatter the national average. In many parts of the country one is lucky to have the police respond within a few minutes, in some high crime areas the wait is much longer. A lot can happen in that amount of time. This is not a knock against law enforcement; it is unreasonable to imagine that they can be at all places at all times.
With this in mind, it is only prudent to expect a man, or woman, to want to take measures to protect their family. In fact, I would go so far as to say that there is an obligation to protect one’s family members. Suggesting that people lock themselves in a room is ludicrous. Now if the victim, and apparently Chief Carpenter has forgotten that DeMar is the victim here, has no weapon, then perhaps those instructions would warrant more consideration. Still, numerous arguments can be made to the contrary, especially when there is no possible way to be certain what the perpetrator’s intentions are.
As if the previous statement by Chief Carpenter was not enough, the Chicago Tribune also quoted him as saying, “It would be unfortunate and potentially tragic to conclude from this incident that Wilmette families would be safer if they keep handguns in their homes. The opposite is true. Wilmette families are in greater danger if they keep a handgun at home.” (1) Well if this is true then why not post a sign in front of your house stating, “THIS HOUSE IS GUN FREE.” I am certain that if Chief Carpenter truly believes that people are safer without guns in the home he will be the first to erect such a sign in front of his house.
It must be noted that DeMar is facing charges for having a handgun in his house in a town in which gun ownership is outlawed, and for failing to renew his Illinois Firearm Owner’s Identification Card.
Thom Mannard, executive director of Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence, could not have agreed more with Chief Carpenter’s remarks. Mannard further stated that “Out of 29,573 gun deaths nationwide in 2001, only 554 were due to “legal intervention” or self-defense.” (2) Is this the way Mannard measures the effectiveness of gun ownership, when they result in death? What about all the crimes that are deterred by a simple brandishing of a firearm? The truth is that those measurements cannot be made. One thing is for certain though, I would much rather live in an area friendly to gun ownership than Washington D.C. or Wilmette, Illinois.
Gun ownership is an essential liberty in this country, so much so that the Framers thought it necessary to include it in the Bill of Rights. But gun ownership goes beyond just sport or protecting one’s family from criminals, it is also one of the keystones to our freedom in this country. The Wilmette police department encourages people who visit their website to send questions or suggestions to police@wilmette.com, perhaps dropping a line may encourage Chief Carpenter to reconsider his views on the issues of self-protection and gun ownership. Chief Carpenter cannot take all the blame here though, the officials in Wilmette, presumably with the support of their constituency, passed the law prohibiting handguns in their town.
(1) Black, Lisa (2004, January 8). Home invasion victim charges with firearm violation.
The Chicago Tribune Retrieved from: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-040108wilmette,1,2116694.story
(2) Black, Lisa (2004, January 9). Wilmette enforces gun ban. The Chicago Tribune
Retrieved from:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/north/chi-0401090072jan09,1,7373272.story
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