Mayor Daleys comments on 80-year-old robbery victim's self defense...

[spin]

Daley: 'Understands' what prompted home intruder shooting
May 27, 2010

Mayor Daley said Thursday he "understands the frustration" that prompted an 80-year-old robbery victim to purchase a handgun that he used this week to kill a home intruder.

But the mayor said that does not mean Chicago's strictest-in-the-nation handgun ban is a mistake or a widely-ignored charade.

He still believes that, in the long run, access to guns kills far more people than it saves.

"Criminals have more access to guns today than in the history of this country and that is frightening to America. We have to do something about it.You cannot have America as the Wild West," Daley told reporters after unveiling his annual summer curfew crackdown.

"It's an issue that most people are afraid to talk about. It's an issue that, politically, is incorrect. You'll defeat your career. It is something you should forget about. Let people handle these situations But if you firmly believe that people should have full access to guns at all times, then you have a totally different society."

Daley did not bend when reporters noted that the 80-year-old Korean War veteran might be dead today if he had abided by Chicago's handgun ban.

After being robbed at gunpoint late last year by three home intruders, the man bought a $150 handgun, vowing not to be a victim again.

"I'm not arguing about this instance. Everybody understands the frustration" of the East Garfield Park man, Daley said. "But access to guns will destroy America faster than any other war. Take Europe. Take Japan and other countries that don't have access to guns. They don't have the amount of killings."

The 80-year-old homeowner shot and killed a 29-year-old parolee with a record of drug and weapons convictions after the intruder broke into the elderly man's home shortly after 5 a.m. Wednesday.

The homeowner fired the illegal handgun he had purchased for self-defense only after the intruder fired at him and missed, according to police.

"My father had no choice. It was him or the other guy," said the homeowner's son. The son said his father was "sorry that it happened, but it had to be him or us."

The elderly man has not been charged with violating the city's ban on handguns.

The incident comes just weeks before the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to overturn Chicago's law.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/cityhall/2324928,mayor-daley-home-intruder-shooting-052710.article

I guess it's far better if the criminal with an illegal firearm and a long rap sheet, murders an 80 year old war veteran and his family than if he gets killed in honest self defense. Perhaps the reason the criminal was on the street was that the fact that he had prior weapons convictions that were punished by a mere slap on the wrist with the proverbial wet noodle.

For Mayor Daley's grand gun control schemes to have any chance of working, anyone caught with an illegal firearm should face a draconian prison sentence. In my opinion this would still fail. Consider the recent news on the gun battles between citizens and police in Jamaica.

Since 1974 Jamaica has had in place some of the toughest gun laws in the world. They are simply banned for 99% of the population; officially anyway. The very rich can pay a police chief to authorize issuance of a revolver and a box of rounds. But for the great majority of Jamaicans guns are officially out of reach. The penalty for unauthorized possession of any firearm is an automatic life sentence…no appeal…no parole. You get picked up today, and by next week you’re starting your sentence. emphasis added

So, naturally, Jamaica is a happy, peaceful place. A place without guns, without violence, without…uh….wait a minute:

The newspapers every morning were awash in stories of pure carnage and gratuitous killing on a scale far surpassing anything one could equate with little Jamaica! I have seen front page photos of headless corpses with the headlines indicating it was friends who argued over politics! I have seen numerous instances of obvious innocents murdered simply because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. And in Jamaica, that wrong place can be even your home. They LIVE in neighborhoods according to their political party! And it’s very dangerous to live in the wrong neighborhood come election time in Jamaica.

***snip***

One horrible tale sticks in my mind over all the others; no mean feat I assure you after all I saw there ultimately. There was an entire family, deemed by the community they resided in, to be in the wrong place. Their zinc wall house, and zinc door, was kicked in by thugs supporting the dominant political party of the area. All sixteen members of the extended family; women, kids, old people…were slaughtered with machine guns…right in their own home. And if that wasn’t enough, the gravediggers who came to bury these poor people, were chased away from the cemetery by the people of the neighborhood who didn’t want the family buried among their folks. Wrong party! And this happened twice as I recall, until the police were dispatched to see that the victims were interred successfully.

Um, but, I thought you said Jamaica had the good control?

Oh, yes. The good gun control. They’ve got it. They’ve got plenty:

…They expedite gun crime cases, cause they have so many. They’ve had to set up a special court that only handles gun crime; called appropriately enough “Gun Court”.

It’s been thiry-five years since these laws were put in place. I recently saw some crime statistics from Kingston and they showed that city’s population of just over 800,000 had about 1,400 murders last year; most of them…by gunfire. emphasis added

The law can be made no tougher, unless you execute the lawbreaker. Yet it hasn’t worked. Thirty-five years, and it hasn’t worked! The police have guns. The rich and politicians have guns, or armed bodyguards. The Jamaican Army has guns. The criminals have guns. The political thugs have guns.

The ONLY group in Jamaica that has no guns: The law-abiding citizenry!
http://ricketyclick.com/blog/index.php/2009/04/15/jamaica-another-island-gun-control-paradise/

[X_Digger]

1. Probably a month to the day before McDonald decision is released.

Think Mayor Mumbles will have a breakdown before then?

[spin]

2. He's already came close with a recent comment ...

Chicago Mayor Regrets "Up Your Butt" Comment

Richard Daley, Wielding Gun, Told Reporter "If I Put This Up Your Butt, You'll Find Out How Effective It Is"
May 21, 2010

CBS 2 Chicago) Mayor Richard M. Daley said Friday that he regrets his choice of words when he suggested he'd stick a rifle with a bayonet up a reporter's "butt," but he said he was trying to "shock" the media into exposing gun manufacturers who flood the streets with firearms.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/05/21/politics/main6507338.shtml

[one-eyed fat man]

3. more similarities between Chicago and Jamaica

The gangs in Jamaica were started and supported by various political parties. The Shower Posse, for example was to ensure that Tivoli Gardens area of Kingston voted reliably Labour. The absolute gun ban passed in 1974 ensured that the Jamaican government had an absolute monopoly on legal weapons in the hands of the Army and an incredibly corrupt police while also ensuring a "blind eye" towards the acquisition of illegal weaponry by their gang supporters, all for a cut of the profits from the gangs illegal activities.

Chicago, where you can buy anything from a hooker to a Senate seat, all while a bloviating idiot atop the steaming blend of graft and corruption decries an 80 year old man for shooting an armed intruder in self-defense. A man who has lived in the same house for 40 years, with a wife of 60 years, worked hard, paid his taxes and likely witnessed in desperation and disbelief as the Chief of Police ran like a yellow dog from the same neighborhood in his armored SUV!!

People grow weary of being victimized by criminals and squeezed by the authorities in cahoots with the crooks.

[spin]

9. Jamaica and Chicago are more similar than even I thought. (n/t)

[rrneck]

4. Just another technocrat.

Governor William J. Le Petomane: Holy underwear! Sheriff murdered! Innocent women and children blown to bits! We have to protect our phoney baloney jobs here, gentlemen! We must do something about this immediately! Immediately! Immediately! Harrumph! Harrumph! Harrumph!

[gorfle]

5. And do you know why they are afraid?

"It's an issue that most people are afraid to talk about. It's an issue that, politically, is incorrect. You'll defeat your career."

And do you know why politicians are afraid to talk about it? Do you know why it is politically incorrect? Do you know why it will defeat your career?

The NRA.

That right there is why I smile every time I send in my membership dues. It works.

Daley did not bend when reporters noted that the 80-year-old Korean War veteran might be dead today if he had abided by Chicago's handgun ban.

So this tells you everything you need to know right there. In his quest to disarm criminals, he is quite satisfied with disarming the innocent, leaving them at the mercy of criminals.

"I'm not arguing about this instance. Everybody understands the frustration" of the East Garfield Park man, Daley said. "But access to guns will destroy America faster than any other war. Take Europe. Take Japan and other countries that don't have access to guns. They don't have the amount of killings."

Of course he's not going to argue this instance. He won't argue any instance where law-abiding people defend themselves - because he doesn't care if they can defend themselves or not!

The simple fact is that most firearm crimes in this country are committed by people with extensive criminal histories!

http://www.cardozolawreview.com/Joomla1.5/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=138:kates201086&catid=20:firearmsinc&Itemid=20

Gun control laws aimed at preventing LAWFUL firearm access will do nothing to deter the vast majority of firearm crimes, because they are committed by PEOPLE WHO DON'T OBEY THE LAW.

[krispos42]

6. "Criminals have more access to guns today than in the history of this country "

And the homicide rate is at the lowest it's been in two generations.


Daley's view on trusting people with guns is very similiar to Republican's views on trusting people with their sex organs.

[DonP]

10. I love that "access" quote and it's such a lie

When I was in high school (old guy story) you could walk into the Western Tire and Auto store and there was rack of rifles and shotguns from Marlin .22s to Savage 30.06, just like there was in Sears, Montgomery Wards and Marshall Fields Mens Store and every Sporting Goods Store. They might ask to see your drivers license, if you looked younger than 18 otherwise no background checks and wide availability.

Now, 22,000 Federal, state and local laws later access is pretty tight, as anyone that ever actually bought a gun knows. The "Easy Access" line is one thrown out by people that have never been in a gun store or at a gun show in their lives and think any 12 year old can walk in with cash and walk out with a machine gun.

[spin]

13. I remember those days ...

That was a LONG time ago.

I remember picking up some good running shoes and a nice S&W target revolver at a sporting goods store in the 70's or early 80's. The running shoes wore out but the S&W Model 25-2 45 acp revolver proved a tack driver and I fired thousands and thousands of rounds through it.

My daughter who loved shooting with me used that same revolver to stop an intruder breaking in to our home one night. She drew down on him as he was forcing the sliding glass door in the kitchen open. He ran.

When she left the nest and got married, I told her she could take one of my handguns with her. She choose that revolver.

Many years later, I live in the same house as my daughter, her current husband and her two teenage sons. (It's a big old house that was once a hotel.) When we get a chance to go shooting, she lets me enjoy what was once my favorite handgun. It's still a tack driver.

[east texas lib]

14. I had a 25-5 in .45 Colt...

I shot cowboy action ammo through it, mostly. But even a low velocity 250 gr. slug will get it done.
They are fine popguns with extremely smooth actions and excellent grips and sights.

[old mark]

7. Damn that old man - he should have used martial arts....nt

[TPaine7]

8. A rec, a prediction and some comments

Mayor Daley said Thursday he "understands the frustration" that prompted an 80-year-old robbery victim to purchase a handgun that he used this week to kill a home intruder.


While there is undoubtedly frustration, there is a much stronger reason for ignoring Chicago's unconstitutional laws--SURVIVAL. Talking about "frustration" when someone is fighting for survival intentional downplays the real problem and insults human rights. Par for the GCRDF course.

Secondly, no Hizzzoner does not understand what it is like to have to risk arrest and imprisonment to defend yourself and your wife and grandson. He hasn't a clue, having been guarded from birth, along with the rest of the Chicago Daley Family by taxpayer funded police officers.


But the mayor said that does not mean Chicago's strictest-in-the-nation handgun ban is a mistake or a widely-ignored charade.


There is one and only one reason for the subject of "a mistake or a widely-ignored charade" to come up. I wish they had captured the Boss's exact wording, but even the sentiment conveys the truth. Daley knows that his gun ban IS widely perceived as a mistake. He knows that it is, or will soon be, a widely ignored charade. He knows that his gun control brainwashing is wearing off, even among good, reliable supporters--black folks who have been thoroughly and intensively brainwashed ( http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=118x319882 ).

Prediction: Daley himself will ignore the "mistake" (read "willful and illegal travesty of justice"), the unholy charade that is Chicago's gun laws. This man will not be arrested. He will not be charged. He will not be made an example. I even doubt his gun will be kept. Daley is enough of a political animal to know better than to enforce the travesty in this case.


The incident comes just weeks before the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to overturn Chicago's law.


The end is near, the end of Chicago-style gun control. The legal and political cards--major, load bearing cards at the base of Chicago's gun control scheme--are about to fall. The house will follow instantly.

It took decades too long.

[Callisto32]

11. Yeah, it's amazing how much new access we have.

Like how I can now mail-order a rifle from the Montgomery-Ward catalogue, and...oh....never mind.

[Tejas]

12. "frightening to America" Daley, I don't how to tell you this but

you need to fix your city. Do that, then get back to me for more instructions, the rest of us will take care of our own.

[sharesunited]

15. The intruder was armed with a gun. That says all anyone needs to hear.

Access to guns and ammo IS the problem.

[one-eyed fat man]

16. I see you even made a video..............

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0vyxgJLJVA

[dmallind]

18. Had he been armed with a knife would the 80yr old have had any more chance

unarmed than against a gun?

Or a bat? Or his fists? Octagenarians aren't going to go toe to toe with too many housebreakers even if all guns were magicked out of existence.

[Biker13]

17. Rec n/t