A 25-year-old Missouri man says he mistook his mother for an intruder before shooting her to death at their home’s back door.
Prosecutors have charged Jaylen Johnson with manslaughter and armed criminal action in connection with the shooting death on Thursday of his mother, Monica McNichols-Johnson.
McNichols-Johnson’s shooting death came less than a year after another shooting in Missouri saw Ralph Yarl, then 16, get shot on 13 April by 84-year-old Andrew Lester after ringing the wrong doorbell while picking up his siblings.
An armed society is a society where people are looking for someone to shoot.
From across the pond, it seems wild how bad it spiralled out due to capitalism. You guys got sold on the idea of having to defend your own house at any point of time… Leads people to have fantasies of being in such a scenario to use their custom piece to end a fool!
Are we really surprised it ended this way?
“You guys”
I’m armed. Not seeking any victims. Have a nice day.
Be honest. You’ve had dreams/thoughts of killing someone in self defence.
Of course, being mentally prepared to do what one has to in the case of preventing loss of life or great bodily injury, the only things armed self defense can legally be used for, isn’t exactly the same thing as pulling a Berkowitz. Most people who own them are prepared to, but hopeful they’ll never have to, use it, and mischaracterizing them as insane nutjobs is unlikely to win any favor in debate. Don’t get me wrong those people do exist, but conflating them with normal gun owners is a mistake, and one you’re free to make.
I wouldn’t dare assume what’s in someone’s head and I try hard not to mischaracterize anyone. I just wanted to know if that person ever dreamed of killing someone, and while my comment didn’t provide context, I was wondering how happy they’d be if they did. I get the impression that some people that want guns for self-defense are ‘itching’ to kill someone and are using self-defense as an excuse. I read that a girl got shot because her basketball landed in someone’s yard and the person killed her. While not the norm, without proper healthcare, including mental health, having the right to use a gun for self-defense is a recipe for disaster. Plus, the ‘stand your ground’ laws seemed deeply flawed, though this is coming from a Canadian that doesn’t have the right to use deadly force to defend my property.
These two statements are conflicting.
You could have asked them, but you instead told them how they feel.
As I mentioned, those people do exist, but they aren’t the norm and conflating them with just a normal dude who doesn’t want to use it but will if forced won’t make you friends with those normal people.
Which isn’t legal. Maybe in Texas idk about them, but in most of the country that’ll buy you some prison time unless it landed in your living room and she kicked your door in to get it back.
For you maybe. I’m fine, and for all I know so is that other person you first replied to. Not that those things wouldn’t be cool, but the need for them does not invalidate the need to defend oneself. In fact, the fact that we don’t have those may well contribute to why we do sometimes need to defend ourselves, tbh. In the meantime the best you can do is evaluate that for yourself, if you can be safe and use it only when you have to, great. If you doubt your ability, making the decision to not have one is a good one and I couldn’t fault you.
Neither do Americans with SYG nor Castle Doctrine. Castle Doctrine says you have no “duty to retreat” in your home or vehicle, meaning if someone breaks in while you’re inside, you do not have to run away before responding to the threat. Stand Your Ground extends this to any place you are legally occupying. That said you still have to abide by all other laws at the time, including but not limited to “deadly force is only legal to use in defense or prevention of death or great bodily injury.” Not “property.”
While most gun owners are not insane nut jobs, the actual problem people are trying to point out is that everyone acts in poor judgement or overwhelming emotion sometimes. I might swear loudly at myself; someone having a loaded gun handy might end someone’s life. There’s a difference.
The other issue that people don’t talk enough about is the inherent conflict between keeping a deadly weapon secured and keeping one ready for defense.
I think the world might be better if we stopped pretending we’re all exactly the same.
Thankfully, you must be wrong, or with 600,000,000+ guns for 300,000,000+ people we’d all already be dead.
But it’s not as simple as whether we’re all the same. Owning a deadly weapon means that anything going wrong potentially kills someone. Most of the time they didn’t deserve it.
You’re afraid of a threat that magnified by your fears and misperceptions. I’m afraid of your “self-defense” or your lack of securing your weapon.
Be different all you want, but it’s a problem when it kills innocent people. Where are their rights?
“Most of the time they didn’t deserve it” eh?
Well, all gun deaths per year including accidents, murder, and suicide, hover around 60,000/yr.
However, even by our most conservative estimate, conservative in this case meaning only using verifiable police reports and completely discounting the most common type of armed defense: defensive display, Harvard has estimated “the good guy with a gun” being effective 100,000 x/yr.
Clearly we can see that 100,000 defensive gun uses is 40,000 more than 60,000. This indicates quite clearly that actually “most” of the time it is deserved, as “most” of the time by 40,000 it is self defense.
I really hate that I have to say this, but literally no u.
Well don’t attempt to kill me or someone I care about in my presence, simple as. Think you can handle that? Should be pretty damn easy tbh.
Well don’t make people leave them in the car to come into your store, the only time mine are less secure than I’d like are when the law requires it to be.
If a man is stabbed in the park do you feel guilty for having knives in the kitchen? Unless I’m the one who does the bad thing I will not feel responsible for it, I am not responsible for the actions of another sentient being.
They have them. Just because rape exists, do you think a woman has no right to her body? Similarly, just because murder exists, that doesn’t mean the murderer wasn’t trampling the murdered’s rights, actually that’s literally the exact reason murder is called “a crime.” And the reason legal self defense is a thing, too, your right to self defense is to secure your right to life, specifically.
Yep, easy. I’ll try not to turn around in your driveway or knock on the door or live in range of stray bullets or be anywhere near whatever random kid finds your gun or in sight when you’re in a bad mood, or near anyone who steals it or whoever they sell it to, or in the same town when you’re nervous enough to decide that’s a good choice, or in the same park if you commit suicide m, or know any family or friend you might get pissed at or drink in front of, or near any store or government agency you thought gave you a bad deal, or anywhere in nature you think that rustling bush means a bear, or in any neighborhood where people make you nervous for any reason, etc
Not deserved, killed. You’re claiming that most of the time a gun is used someone is killed
Honestly no. I have better things to dream about. I have lived in the ghetto, and fallen asleep to the sound of gunshots and sirens. I have a wife who I love, and I want to make sure she doesn’t come to any harm. I’m sad for you that you think guns are only weapons for mass murders. Maybe someday you’ll realize self-defense is a valid reason to own guns. Be honest, could you live with yourself if your home gets broken into and your spouse or child gets killed and you stood there looking around doing nothing because you weren’t armed?
I doubt you’re being honest in your question but I’ll answer it anyway.
Could I live with myself if my wife died due to a home invasion? Yes, of course I could. I’m not at fault for her death so why wouldn’t I be able to live with myself?
The fact that you came up with a situation where you think violence is the solution answers my initial question of you dreaming about killing someone in self-defense. You didn’t think you were going to prove yourself a liar in your response did you?
You obviously made up your mind before ever posting or reading my response so there’s no point in continuing this conversation. Dreaming of something and preparing for the worst are obviously different but my words are wasted on you.
Removed by mod
Great point, I’ve reconsidered my entire worldview thanks to your clown emojis. You’re really doing God’s work here.
Took you long enough to reply. Talk about being slow.
If you really weren’t seeking any victims, you wouldn’t be armed.
Great argument. Perhaps you’d like to tell me my favorite color next? Or which religion I should follow?