6th Grader Shoots Potential Rapist

[CheckD3]

Am I the only one thinking, "good thing it wasn't a neighbor coming over for a cup of sugar"?

Joking aside, it's a shame that 12 year old girl had to fire a gun at someone, but I'm glad she's okay. There are a lot of stories that never get told like this because the girl DOESN'T have a chance to defend or save herself. Glad we're talking and joking about the aftermath of what happens to a possible crime much worse than burglary.

 

[Vegosiux]

Let people shoot each other's heads off over there for all I care, as long as I know what country not to visit.

Or you could, you know, not to break into someones home and try to hunt down a little girl.

That works pretty well too.

Excuse me, but what's your point here?

I don't remember ever breaking into someone's house, for one.

 

[spartan231490]

That's pretty awesome, congratulations to the kid, although I disagree with the idea of people keeping guns in their houses (or on their person). For every rare case of a person possibly saved like this, there's accidents and the use of guns for crime to consider. I understand it may be different for our American friends since they have a large border with a poor crime-ridden country (no offence any Mexicans) which guns can leak over into the hands of criminals but I stand by my position in theory at-least.

TL;DR: Please flame me

Self defense cases aren't rare, they outnumber crimes, suicides and accidental deaths using firearms by a substantial ratio, as in multiplicative. http://www.justfacts.com/guncontrol.asp

Thanks for linking that to me, I'll definitely have to do some more research into this topic, however I'm not entirely sold on those particular statistics. 0.5% of the population reporting an incident where they "would have almost certainly been killed if not for a firearm" seems an unrealistically high number and could well include a lot of people exaggerating past events in their own minds. I will have to look for some official statistics some time as I might have to reconsider my position.

Alright, that is really fucking ignorant. As a Mexican I've never EVER been mugged (mind you, I still use public transportation most of the time since I don't like driving in the city because it takes longer than the metro) and have not even witnessed a crime in my 20 years of life. Get your ignorant ideas of how a foreign country works and shove it, it's offensive and would be like saying everyone in South Africa fights lions on a daily basis, just overall ignorant.

EDIT: Also double whammy if you think Americans like and keep guns in their house because of Mexicans.

Woah, chill dude, the "please flame me" bit was a joke. I've never been to Mexico but the statistics speak for themselves:

Spoiler: Homicide stats by country

You've got about 3 times the homicide rate of the U.S. and about 8 times the rate of my native England. Sure, some parts of Mexico may be more dangerous than others but you can't deny there isn't a problem. I never said every Mexican was a criminal.

I imagine it is an overestimation, but even if only 1% of the reported uses of firearms in self defense actually happen, there are still more than twice as many instances of self-defense with firearms as murders with firearms.

 

[IamLEAM1983]

That just makes me sad. The comments in the article make me sad, too.

In an ideal situation, nobody would have to own a gun.

Get better locks, people, and better windows. Teach your kids to hunker down with a PHONE, not a gun, to call the cops and wait for people whose living actually involves shooting at people on the very rare chance that talking them down or using other nonlethal means doesn't work.

Nope, giving everyone a gun will make no country in the world safer to live in. Not by a long shot. Not when the probability of arming retards is high - and you can't take an on-the-spot IQ or psych eval to prove you aren't likely to flip your lid and go on a killing spree.

Call me Socialist or Canadian or whatever, but I'm of the mind that only cops should have guns. Assuming the guy was a "potential" rapist to give the use of a gun an air of dire survival is kind of low. For all we know, the poor scumbag only felt like looking around for valuables and bolting off quickly enough to have a chance to pawn his ill-gotten things.

I'm not defending the guy, but immediately going "Yeah, you shot the bastage! YOU GO, GIRL!" isn't any better either.

 

[senordesol]

That just makes me sad. The comments in the article make me sad, too.

In an ideal situation, nobody would have to own a gun.

Get better locks, people, and better windows. Teach your kids to hunker down with a PHONE, not a gun, to call the cops and wait for people whose living actually involves shooting at people on the very rare chance that talking them down or using other nonlethal means doesn't work.

Nope, giving everyone a gun will make no country in the world safer to live in. Not by a long shot. Not when the probability of arming retards is high - and you can't take an on-the-spot IQ or psych eval to prove you aren't likely to flip your lid and go on a killing spree.

Call me Socialist or Canadian or whatever, but I'm of the mind that only cops should have guns. Assuming the guy was a "potential" rapist to give the use of a gun an air of dire survival is kind of low. For all we know, the poor scumbag only felt like looking around for valuables and bolting off quickly enough to have a chance to pawn his ill-gotten things.

I'm not defending the guy, but immediately going "Yeah, you shot the bastage! YOU GO, GIRL!" isn't any better either.

God, I'd hate to get into another one of these debates but I can't resist. If this guy *was* after her; waiting for rescue would have helped her HOW?

 

[MetalGenocide]

12 year olds camping in tight places with glocks. Jeebus....

I thought I was safe! I thought I left this madness behind in Counter-strike!

Repressed memories HO!

 

[IamLEAM1983]

That just makes me sad. The comments in the article make me sad, too.

In an ideal situation, nobody would have to own a gun.

Get better locks, people, and better windows. Teach your kids to hunker down with a PHONE, not a gun, to call the cops and wait for people whose living actually involves shooting at people on the very rare chance that talking them down or using other nonlethal means doesn't work.

Nope, giving everyone a gun will make no country in the world safer to live in. Not by a long shot. Not when the probability of arming retards is high - and you can't take an on-the-spot IQ or psych eval to prove you aren't likely to flip your lid and go on a killing spree.

Call me Socialist or Canadian or whatever, but I'm of the mind that only cops should have guns. Assuming the guy was a "potential" rapist to give the use of a gun an air of dire survival is kind of low. For all we know, the poor scumbag only felt like looking around for valuables and bolting off quickly enough to have a chance to pawn his ill-gotten things.

I'm not defending the guy, but immediately going "Yeah, you shot the bastage! YOU GO, GIRL!" isn't any better either.

God, I'd hate to get into another one of these debates but I can't resist. If this guy *was* after her; waiting for rescue would have helped her HOW?

First off, you don't know he was after her. Saying "Potential Rapist" in the thread title doesn't mean the probability is strong, or even there. It just means you're baiting for clicks. Second, there's a ton of ways to push an assailant away that don't involve spewing hot lead. The mother could just as easily have said "Get the can of Mace and if it comes to it, aim for the eyes!"

They could've kept a baseball bat, too, or perhaps one of these hand tasers. We're in 2012; if I want to knock a guy out and not kill him, I have a lot of ways to do so.

I just don't get the gun culture, generally speaking. Why does forced entry warrant putting POTENTIALLY DEADLY holes into someone? We've all heard and seen cliché depictions of burglars and have all been told these guys will be armed, but that's actually highly unlikely. Getting in and getting out without making a sound goes a lot better when you're not trying to pack some gear.

12 year olds camping in tight places with glocks. Jeebus....

I thought I was safe! I thought I left this madness behind in Counter-strike!

Repressed memories HO!

I love Sir Hammerlock. Just had to say that. Thank you. You made my night. Or, um, early morning.

God, it's late.

 

[Hawkeye21]

I have a penis. I guess that makes me a potential rapist too, huh.
PS capcha: cut the mustard

 

[thebobmaster_v1legacy]

Attempted rapist? Going a bit too far. After all, he could have other reasons for going towards the closet. Checking for hidden safes, perhaps? Or, getting a bit dark, maybe to silence the witness?

Whatever the scenario, I don't disagree with the outcome. It's easy to say "don't have guns", but the fact is, this scenario would have likely been a lot worse without it. Let's just try to imagine what would have happened if he got to the closet, opened it, saw her, and she was not able to defend herself. And unless the 12 year old was ridiculously ripped for her age, there is no way she could fight off a grown man. He might have fled, granted. But considering that hearing her call for her mother didn't scare him off, I don't think actually seeing her would, either.

 

[lunavixen]

there is no evidence that the burglar was a rapist, the guy probably went to the closet to make sure whoever was in it was not a threat/to take the phone away or that he was going to search the closet for something to steal. It's a good thing the burglar wasn't killed, that'd be something hard to live with if she had killed him. People do keep valuables in their closets sometimes so it's not that much of a stretch to believe a burglar searching the closet.

 

[Faraja]

It just saddens me that when shit goes down they grab for a gun instead of upgrading normal home defences like a stronger door or security screen. Not that I'm against guns or anything but that shouldn't be your only defence is all.

She was 12, and he got in through the window. They could have had a mahogany door with titanium locks, and it wouldn't have made a difference. Not unless you put security bars over the windows, and even the ones meant to look nice still look like you're expecting an invasion to happen at any second.

 

[Faraja]

First off, you don't know he was after her. Saying "Potential Rapist" in the thread title doesn't mean the probability is strong, or even there. It just means you're baiting for clicks. Second, there's a ton of ways to push an assailant away that don't involve spewing hot lead. The mother could just as easily have said "Get the can of Mace and if it comes to it, aim for the eyes!"

While I agree that calling him a potential rapist might be a bit much, the rest of your post just makes me face palm.

Let's start with the first bit:

Mace requires you to actually get it in their eyes, while assuming they haven't been maced, and that it will be effective enough to hold them off for help to arrive. More than likely, he would have gotten back up, and been really angry. Further more, people who use mace and pepper spray have this nasty habit of getting it in their own eyes.

They could've kept a baseball bat, too, or perhaps one of these hand tasers. We're in 2012; if I want to knock a guy out and not kill him, I have a lot of ways to do so.

She's a 12 year old girl, you're not. Besides, she was in a closet, I doubt there was a lot of room to wind up for a good swing.

I just don't get the gun culture, generally speaking. Why does forced entry warrant putting POTENTIALLY DEADLY holes into someone? We've all heard and seen cliché depictions of burglars and have all been told these guys will be armed, but that's actually highly unlikely. Getting in and getting out without making a sound goes a lot better when you're not trying to pack some gear.

Because it's MY (in this case, her's) home. It's my place of resident, and my domain. No one really has the right to violate that in any way. They clearly have no respect for that sanctuary, or the people who call it home, so why should I have any sort of respect for them?

Because it's MY (and my family, in this case her's) stuff. Our possessions, the things we've worked to have. Why should I let someone get away with trying to take it?

Because I don't know THEIR plans. Are they just here for the stuff? Are they prepared to kill me?

Because I don't know what THEY'RE packing. I do, however, know what I'm packing.

Because YOUR argument falls flat on it's face. In this instance, he didn't sneak in, he tried to beat down the door, then smashed a window. We don't know what would have happened if he'd found her, and we never will. Why? Because her mother told her to take action.

 

[DoPo]

How do we know the guy didn't just want to tie the girl up so he could search the house without her running to get the police?

We don't, Santa, but since you're here - is the girl on the naughty or nice list?

For all we know, the poor scumbag only felt like looking around for valuables and bolting off quickly enough to have a chance to pawn his ill-gotten things.

Unless that kid was wearing some Mr.T level gold chains, why would he chase her to that closet?

Stop her from calling the cops, stop her with interfering in another way, ask her where the valuables are, or on a darker note - murder her, kidnap her. There are plausible non-harmful reasons to go after a little girl. Or just generally a child. There are also harmful reasons. I just wanted to mention both. And there is a wider plethora than just rape - another thing worth noting[footnote]I don't imply you implied the guy was a rapist[/footnote]

?And what we understand right now, he was turning the doorknob when she fired through the door?

1) mom turns the handle after she scared off the burglar or didn't find the burglar in the house. mom is dead or injured from daughter.

2) police off turns handle, is either injured or dead.

Implausible scenarios - the mother and the police would have announced themselves - logical course of action if you don't want to get shot. Both the mother and the police knew there was a firearm and a very real danger to go off - the former instructed the girl to get it, the latter should have been informed, since the girl herself said so on the phone. We can infer that the girl is not deaf, too - she was on the phone.

3) burglar turns handle and gets killed.

Plausible and very probable.

12 year old murderer, shot someone on the other side of the door with no eye contact.

If we take 3), then I still have to double check the laws, however I believe this is false - self-defence.

and this is just the single mother train of thought, what if she had older siblings that caused the noise, or a father.

Evidence suggests that 12 year olds should be able to distinguish between family members and strangers. Further evidence suggests, that family members are unlikely to break into their own house, at least not with a presence of another family member in there who can let them in. Moreover, were they to break in, they would be unlikely to not announce themselves as who they are. Example: "Hey, honey, it's me, papa"

there's no real proof that the person was dangerous.

Similarly, no evidence to suggest the opposite. However, fact the fact that they broke into a house does suggest higher probability of being dangerous. Two popular sayings: "Err on the side of caution" and "Better safe than sorry", more than likely contributed to that judgement. Popular sayings supporting the opposite are not that well known.

and also a chance it could have gone very wrong after the gun was fired.

True.

 

[Keoul]

She was 12, and he got in through the window. They could have had a mahogany door with titanium locks, and it wouldn't have made a difference. Not unless you put security bars over the windows, and even the ones meant to look nice still look like you're expecting an invasion to happen at any second.

Where does it say he went in through the window? are you referring to this?

Kendra St. Clair, 12, was at home alone in Oklahoma, when loud banging began on the door to her family's home. Soon, the glass shattered and an intruder had entered.

There's no mention of a window and for all we know their front door looked like this

Spoiler: A front door with glass

And even then if they did go in via window, I did mention security screens, they don't always have to be unattractive (or atleast where I am, Australia)

Spoiler: security screen

Now that doesn't look like you're expecting an invasion now does it?
It'll protect against most knives and impacts too so there you go, the chap wouldn't have gotten in.

[small]source for all this is http://crimsafe.com.au , doubt it if you want but when it's got universities and crime stopping organisation supporting it I just assume they're correct[/small]

 

[Faraja]

Am i the only one who wonders what kind of parents leave their 12 yo child alone at home, not to mention with a pistol within easy reach?

Working parents? Parents who have to go shopping? Parents whose kid's get home before they do?
Having a loaded gun in the house that's easily accessible (or one that has pre-loaded clips literally right next to it) is about the only way to keep a gun for practical self defense. Yes, they should have taught her a lot more about.

 

[Faraja]

Where does it say he went in through the window? are you referring to this?

Kendra St. Clair, 12, was at home alone in Oklahoma, when loud banging began on the door to her family's home. Soon, the glass shattered and an intruder had entered.

There's no mention of a window and for all we know their front door looked like this

Spoiler: A front door with glass

And even then if they did go in via window, I did mention security screens, they don't always have to be unattractive (or atleast where I am, Australia)

Spoiler: security screen

Now that doesn't look like you're expecting an invasion now does it?
It'll protect against most knives and impacts too so there you go, the chap wouldn't have gotten in.

[small]source for all this is http://crimsafe.com.au , doubt it if you want but when it's got universities and crime stopping organisation supporting it I just assume they're correct[/small]

You're right in that they didn't say if it was a window, but it is the most likely source for someone to break into. That security screen thingy is pretty cool, do they sell them in the US? Do they cover ornate glass well? How much do they cost? Are they a common thing to see in homes? Besides, why not have it all?

I do it's worth mentioning that, the last time my house got broken into, they just took the whole back door off.

 

[lucky_sharm]

How do we know the guy didn't just want to tie the girl up so he could search the house without her running to get the police?

Because clearly it would have been totally okay for someone invading your fucking property to steal all your shit. That would have been a much more favorable outcome, no? And honestly, rapist or not, I wouldn't want any piece of shit threatening my loved ones.

And holy fuck are some of you dense. "That's great and all, but oh man what's that girl doing with a gun? She'd have hurt herself or had an accident!"

As we all know, the best purpose for a weapon is to put it where no one has access to it. Obviously. And clearly this girl had some idea on how to handle a weapon, considering that she went for it in the first place.