This evening on the local Atlanta news, I heard a report of a woman whose Honda was carjacked by four men. The woman jumped onto the hood of her car to try to prevent it being stolen. Then the news report tells of what they describe as a "Good Samaritan" who shot the hijacker driving the stolen car so that the woman was able to slide to safety as the car came to a stop.
In the parable of the Good Samaritan, at no time did the Samaritan commit violence. He merely rendered first aid to a victim of a crime and made sure that victim had room and board until ready to travel again. Last year the Georgia legislature passed the open carry bill allowing weapons to be carried in public. Now we have vigilantes described as "Good Samaritans." The Smyrna city worker who wounded the hijacker was in no danger himself. He did prevent a crime and save a woman's life, but is that where our country is headed? Are we to expect Wild West type shootings, a la The Rifleman or Gunsmoke as part of our daily life? Are all citizens deputized to intervene during the commission of a crime?
While I'm glad that the woman is safe and that no one was killed, especially a bystander, I'm not sure I am comfortable with this sort of precedent. What do you think?