A pair of recent incidents highlighted the value of being legally armed in these troubled times.
Surveillance video from a frightening encounter last month went viral in recent days. At a hotel in Houston, Texas, a man alleged to be an armed robber can clearly be seen in the early morning hours of Jan. 16 chambering a round in his rifle before climbing over the counter.
It is highly doubtful he simply meant to inquire about getting an early check-in.
When he cleared the counter, the suspect brandished the weapon and ordered the clerk to open the cash drawer. She did, but at the same time produced a handgun of her own and pointed it at him.
That was enough to change the would-be robber’s mind, and he scrambled to get back over the counter and away from the hotel clerk as quickly as possible. The Houston Police Department requested the public’s help in locating the suspect, who was captured fleeing on the now-viral video.
He is described by law enforcement as being 20 to 25 years old, from 6’2” to 6’4” and weighing 150 to 180 pounds.
The second incident unfolded Monday evening in Chicago’s Wrigleyville neighborhood. A homeowner equipped with a surveillance security system spotted a man on his porch with a flashlight around 8:30 p.m. The homeowner, identified by CBS2 in Chicago as Niko Kara, was doubly prepared as he also had a concealed carry permit.
In his home at the time were his wife and two-year-old daughter.
Properly armed, Kara went to check on his garage and, according to police, found 31-year-old Tyler Hamlin lurking there. The prepared homeowner stopped the suspect in his tracks and held him at gunpoint until local police arrived. He reported that it only took the officers about 45 seconds to appear.
Officials discovered that the suspect had a long criminal history that included violence, proving that using the gun for self-defense was a smart move by the homeowner.
Hamlin’s lawyer vouched for his client’s good name by telling authorities that he held a bachelor’s degree in psychology as well as gender and women’s studies from UIC. He further explained that Hamlin is currently unhoused and unemployed.
He is currently being housed without bail on several outstanding warrants.
The suspect’s record showed a pattern of violent behavior that included the battering of a cab driver and an attack on an Illinois State Trooper. Then there’s the plea on an aggravated arson charge as well as a battery charge in Chicago early last year.
In both recent cases, the presence of a lawful firearm quickly ended what could have been tragedies. There is no way to know during a violent encounter how it will end, but one sure way to avoid dire consequences is to be legally armed and properly trained to defend yourself.
Both possible victims flipped the script on their alleged violent attackers and immediately ended the threats.
The value of the Second Amendment goes far beyond hunting and sport shooting. While each are time-honored and noble pursuits, of a more immediate concern in the incidents were the capabilities of using firearms to defuse a hostile situation.
Bad guys count on an unarmed and compliant victim. In the vast majority of encounters, they do not expect to be confronted by a person who is armed and prepared to defend themselves. And when that happens, it is the armed law-abiding citizen who saves the day.
