Handicapped or Heroin?

Many thanks to my father-in-law for relaying the following link from CNN.com earlier in the week-

www.cnn.com/2006/US/09/09/wheelchair.shooter.ap/index.html

(If for some reason this link doesn't open for you the crux of the article is that 56-yr. old Margaret Johnson of Harlem (New York) defended herself from a male mugger reaching for her necklace while she was headed to the local gunrange for shooting practice. Margaret is confined to her wheelchair. The mugger, 45 yr old Deron Johnson, got physical with her and she pulled her licensed .357 Magnum handgun and shot the guy at point blank range sending him to the hospital. Sadly, he lived.)

There are 3 reasons why this article is significant to me:
A) The venue in which it took place- New York City
B) The fact that a liberal media network actually reported it
C) The ethnicity of the subjects is not revealed

A = New York City has long been known for it's history of crime on an unparalleled level- especially muggings. Muggings are an everyday occurance throughout the city- if not hourly. So why does NYC make it so difficult for it's citizenry to legally own a firearm for personal protection? The answer is simple. NYC is the true Mecca of the Liberal Elites who believe they know best when it comes to the rights of individuals to protect their person and/or their family. ("Guns are bad - ergo- people who own guns are bad. Shooting a gun is evil. All guns should be destroyed.")

B = The media in general loves to convey that firearm ownership is not only taboo but bad for Joe Q. Public. But I beleive the sensationalistic factor of this particular instance outweighed their collective journalistic conscience and skewed sense of social justice. Afterall, who wouldn't be impressed with a gun toting granny who defends herself from a mugger while confined to an awkward vehicle like the wheelchair? Here's a better question, how else would this woman have defended herself from her able bodied attacker if firearms were banned completely by NYC's politicians? (And we all know that Chuck Schumer and Hillary have been drooling at the chance!) The answer- she couldn't have. She would have been another statistic in the local police precinct crime log. A regrettable, unfortunate casualty- but nontheless harmed or killed in the process.

C = It's long been my contention that journalists (print primarily), seek to sensationalize any and every story for the sake of self serving publicity. Afterall, that's how they maintain and expand subscriptions. If the subject of an article involves crime, injustice, greed or unusual personal success- the person's ethnicity and/or race is usually revealed. This particular article, however, does not address such. I must therefore surmise that both subjects named are of the same race and therefore counteract any additional provocative slant the writer could inject within his/her prose.

Finally, let's applaud the DA's office for not charging the true victim in this crime (Margaret Johnson) with "assault" or worse- "assault with a deadly weapon" which carries a far greater penalty under the NY penal code. The woman was legally permitted to own, possess, and in this case - defend her person with a handgun.

I love this story. First, because it was publically reported and second, it has a very positive message that was intentionally underreported - law abiding Americans who own firearms still have the legally sanctioned ability to defend themselves from criminal dirtbags. God bless you Margaret Johnson. Sleep well tonight knowing that one more thief is out of commission in New York City!