A story in today's Washington Post speaks volumes.
Loudon Virginia is not the boondocks, its not a 20 minute to 2 hour police response time, its not an unincorporated area ---- it is part of Northern Virginia and part of a growing metropolitan area for Washington DC.
This is what the NRA cheerleads for ----- you need a gun to shoot an intruder.
Don't turn on the lights, don't call the police, don't try to ascertain who is in your house by calling out or poking your head around the corner to see if you see anyone.
Do shoot in the darkness, do shoot to kill, do not negotiate, do not tell the intruder to halt, do not tell the intruder if he takes another step you'll shoot.
If the NRA is right about life's dangers ---- then guns are worthless.
How about "My name is John Smith, I am the homeowner, I called the police and have a gun pointed at you, put your hands up where I can see them, take one step and I will shoot you" Guns, like nuclear weapons, provide a great defense when unused and yet the NRA wants them to be used to show how you can scare burglars away without asking for government help.
The NRA will point out that the intruder was an intruder plus he was drunk. Somehow, Caleb will be villified as not an upstanding young man. They'll trash Caleb. They'll paint him as a thug (This could be problematic given whats be published about Caleb in this story.) But Caleb is a person of color and the NRA wants you to shoot to kill, especially minoroties ----- an American tradition since 1871.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...