Only, that narrative is starting to change. Americans are not blind to the sharply rising violent crime rates in major cities, and they are legally arming themselves.
Law enforcement cannot be always at all places, so it is largely up to citizens to ensure that they do not become merely another statistic. And these citizens are rising in force.
On the streets of north Philadelphia Saturday night, two men sitting in their car were attacked. It is unclear whether they had been sitting in the Honda Civic for long or had just pulled up, but suddenly an attacker yanked the car door open and brandished a gun in the victim’s face.
The shocking news is that this is hardly a shocking event anymore.
One of the two men, ages 26 and 29, was legally armed, and that completely changed the course of events on Saturday. After being ordered out of the vehicle, one of the two victims drew his weapon and shot the armed carjacker several times.
The attacker ran but did not get far. The defenders called 911 and waited for the police to arrive. The victims produced their identification and gave statements to the responding officers, who then searched for the assailant.
The 17-year-old was found merely a block away suffering from gunshot wounds to the chest and right shoulder. An ambulance was called, and the young criminal was taken to Temple hospital in stable condition.
Police found that the suspect was on probation from nearby Montgomery County, and the firearm he pointed at the two would-be victims was registered to his father. The attacker was charged with one count of attempted carjacking and other weapons charges.
The defendants do not face charges.
Philadelphia, along with many other major cities, is buckling under the shocking spike in violent crime over the last few years. From carjackings to home invasions and armed robberies, it is increasingly dangerous to be away from home or even behind your own closed and locked doors.
Politicians can wring their hands and worry about societal causes, but it’s largely up to the civilian population to ensure their own safety. Many steps can be taken, of course, from simply locking doors to home security systems. Greater situational awareness and avoiding obviously dangerous settings may go far in keeping a person out of harm’s way.
The sad truth, however, is that none of these will stop a determined attacker. Doors cannot be locked 24/7, and they are but a minor deterrent to a person with the will to breach them. Security systems are hardly infallible, and the attack may be quick enough to where the attacker is long gone by the time authorities arrive.
And carjacking and armed robberies are very difficult to plan against. By their very nature they are quick and surprising events, springing up in the blink of an eye and usually in a location where the intended victim is isolated.
All of these situations are dramatically changed by the presence of a legal firearm. A confrontation may be immediately reversed when the intended victim is prepared and produces a weapon. Over and over again, we see heroic actions from those who refuse to be helpless fodder for the violent criminal.
This increase in defensive heroism is not by accident. Political leaders and their partners in the mainstream media go to great lengths to convince the public that there is no greater threat from the criminal element, but the people are not blind. They see what have become daily occurrences and are arming themselves to be ready.
The two Philadelphia men could have been footnotes on the police blotter to be forgotten quickly as the next day’s victims are recorded. Instead, they were prepared. They courageously faced the armed criminal and fought back, and a possible tragic ending was averted.
