The hero that emerged from the most recent Seattle gun story is Lawrence, the brave fellow who threw a bar stool at Ian Stawicki to stop a bloody massacre at Cafe Racer.
Lawrence was sitting in the Seattle coffee bar, a gathering place for artists and other alternative types, when Ian Stawicki walked through the door just before 11 a.m. May 30.
It is unfortunate that most alternative lifestyle types in Seattle choose to be unarmed. It would have only taken one or two armed musicians to stop much of the carnage.
Lawrence had a brother murdered in the attack on the World Trade Center. He promised himself he would “never hide under a table.” The shooter ignored Lawrence and the barstool and proceeded to shoot others in the room. One cafe patron escaped by locking himself in the bathroom. Would the media call Lawrence a hero if he had shot the mentally ill attacker and thereby prevented the outcome of the shooting spree — five dead gunshot victims?
During one short period this past spring, several local residents stopped home invasions and other violent attacks. But were there any discussions of heroics in the Seattle Times? Not even an article about how armed homeowners were winning the war against armed home invaders? Armed citizens actually take steps in advance to make sure that they have something with more stopping power than a stool when attacks are occurring.
The “consensus” among professional journalists and politicians is that “too many” guns are responsible for out-of-control gun violence.
The police determined that a retired police officer was justified in fatally shooting an intruder during a home invasion in Puyallup. The homeowner suddenly found himself confronting two of the men in his hallway after he heard pounding on his door. Two suspects were taken into custody. Another member of the gang, Joshua Baker, escaped and was at large for several days before he was eventually apprehended by police.
Had the homeowner been subject to a duty to retreat, he might have been in some kind of legal jeopardy for “standing his ground.” Retreating might also have increased the homeowner’s chances of getting brained from behind with the crowbar.
A recent check with the Department of Licensing (DOL) revealed that a new record number of Concealed Pistol Licenses are now active in Washington with 357,782 in circulation. March showed a stunning volume of activity, according to a DOL source, with some 12,000 renewals, first-time applications and replacements being processed.
Each one of us has to decide how to deal with the risk of becoming a victim of violence. Many adults of all ages all around the U.S. — including many women — have decided to make a firearm part of their personal protection plan. Normal people protect themselves and loved ones by using guns to prevent violent assaults. The only time gun violence is reported by the news media is when there are victims — usually victims who are not able to shoot back.
Many Americans are becoming licensed to carry. We can all benefit greatly from some of the professional training that is now available all over the United States. Promise yourself that you will never have to use a bar stool in a situation where a gun is the appropriate tool.
