I virtually never post anything specific about our town, Kosciusko, Mississippi. First of all, why would anyone outside of our little community care about a church luncheon or even the mayoral election? And second, we tend to keep our business to ourselves.But, this story is just too good to pass up! As long time readers know I am a big supporter of the Second Amendment and, frankly, a big supporter of the right to carry a weapon, under strict licensing and control.
Far from causing crime, I believe the proper use of guns protect honest people and deters criminal behavior.
Here's the story. In our small town, which is almost always crime free, we recently have had a series of armed robberies taking place in daylight in the parking lot of our local supermarket. By series I mean three robberies. It's a small town. No one has been injured, at least up to this point.
However, yesterday, our local crime wave came to an abrupt halt. The would be robber finally picked on the wrong man. Melton King, co-owner of our wonderful Sonic Drive-In was the latest victim. As King came out of the supermarket, the gunman approached, gun drawn and held straight out at arms length.
“He held the straight out like in a movie,” King said. “He put the gun to my ribs.”
King said he tried to stay calm and when asked for money, he gave him money from his wallet and then from his bank bag containing Sonic money.
King said robber took off running behind the supermarket. King jumped into his Ford F-150 pick-up truck in hot pursuit. He had hoped to see the robbers vehicle and give a license plate to the police.
But King, also was carrying a firearm and he did fire a warning shot or two at the fleeing robber.
This clearly surprised and upset the robber who glanced back at the rapidly pursuing King. While looking back, the robber stepped into a hole along the side of the road and he stumbled and fell. King's pick-up truck was closing so fast he accidentally struck the robber a glancing blow.
“He was stumbling to get up,” King said.
King immediately returned to supermarket and called 911 for help. Once he returned to the accident scene, where he found his Sonic money bag, but the robber had recovered enough to flee the scene.
Moments later, Kosciusko Police officers apprehended the accused robber on a nearby road. Kosciusko Police Chief R.J. Adams said the man was armed with the weapon described as the one used in the robbery. He, of course, was detained and provided full medical attention for his minor injuries.
Police Chief Adams commended Melton King for his action and also commended KPD officers Brice Cole, Stan Beall, Herbert Dew and Curtis Pope for their quick actions in apprehending the suspect.
Chief Adams and every one of these officers are friends of mine. And Melton King is certainly a local hero.
And, as our accused robber can testify, it's simply not wise to mess with folks you don't know in small town America. We're not only clinging to our guns, we're often carrying them.
20 comments:
Excellent tale, on several levels.
Thanks for this posting wizard. I hope you post a bit more frequently.
Thank you Lee.
I hope you and yours have had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
And Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers and friends.
Wizard, I will not attempt to regulate guns in your state, if you promise not to regulate gun ownership in my state.
And Happy Thanksgiving to both you and Lee.
I agree with Lee: more Wizard posts. I like the tale a lot, but am conflicted about gun ownership. The situation could have been a lot worse.
I hope you and your family also had a nice Thanksgiving.
I'll try not to rant too much in the coming year.
8-O
This is a great story! We need to be careful though! If the leftist illuminati get their way, the second amendment will be erased off our constitution!
Stella, personally, I think anyone who favors conceal carry legislation in any state is nutz. Here is exhibit one - the Toys-R-Us Massacre - from yesterday in rural California.
Oh, no, I don't agree with concealment at all. Several people could have lost their lives in this incident, including the "hero." I guess I was reading the post more as fiction.
Corrinne, if you want to discuss the illuminati, you might familiarize yourself with PNAC. These are the true illuminati. I'm tired of conservatives acting like sore losers.
The Founding Fathers never meant the Second Amendment to be used the way it is now. A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.
Are you part of any militia? And can you explain why the Equal Rights Amendment still hasn't passed? I mean, it's OK for guns to be legal, but not for women to have equality?
Vig, that Toys-R-Us story is chilling. The story is correct: it's amazing more people weren't hurt. Thank you. I needed that.
Stella,
I quote jurist contemporaneous to the Founders William Rawle:
The prohibition is general. No clause in the constitution could by any rule of construction be conceived to give congress a power to disarm the people. Such a flagitious attempt could only be made under some general pretence by a state legislature. But if in any blind pursuit of inordinate power, either should attempt it, this amendment may be appealed to as a restraint on both.
The Founding Fathers had enough sense to limit Government, not the people. Freedom is VERY important.
If private ownership of guns and/or unregulated militias constitute Lee's index of "freedom" then, by his criteria, Afghanistan and Iraq must be iconic democracies.
private ownership of guns is our constitutional right period. The "milita" arguement just does not fly.
Of courese, that particular Freedom plays havoc with your need to have a placid, docile, lemming like, socialist society right vig? Because big government knows better then the common man?
Regulating gun ownership as we do automobile ownership is socialism, Lee? You ought to be cooking your beef a little longer.
Vig,
You sidestep like a politician.
FYI, I'm a vegitarian.
A real Vegetarian knows how to spell the word.
As usual, there is no logic in the liberal positions advocated by Vigilante and Stella. When you resort to critiquing spelling, you have certainly run out of reason.
Yes, the shoot-out in the Toys-R-US was horrible. Neither of these men had a conceal-carry permit, so how you attempt to relate the two is beyond me. Really, do you think that keeping law abiding people from owning guns would somehow prevent criminals from using them? How does that work?
The militia argument has never held water with anyone who actually does any research beyond the apparent ambiguity of the words. All the writings at the time the constitution was ratified unanimously acclaim the right to bear arms as an individual right.
Shoo. It's good to "see" you. I'm not writing anything else.
Stella,
I have heard of the PNAC before and think that what they promote is the most left of the illuminati spectrum. To think that the US' way is the right way for us and the entire world is an outdated line of thought... although we still seem to try to push our democracy on others.
And no, I'm not part of any militia. Are you?
Yes, it would be great to have this amendment pass. At the same time, women have come such a long way without it. I support women's rights and think that women deserve every right just like a man. However, we do not live in a perfect world. This is not a white flag, simply a fact.
And we have gun rights and not an equal rights amendment at this time in history because at the time our founding fathers wrote the constitution women WERE NOT treated as equals of men.
Hi WIZARD.
My name is Mike Nelson and my company, Livingston Communications is working with the Save Darfur Coalition. I thought you might be interested in helping us spread the word. Given that your personal convictions about Darfur and human rights issues ring clear on The WIZARD Blog, please allow me to get right to the point. December 9th marks the 60th anniversary of the United Nations’ Genocide Convention, and Darfuri people are still suffering and struggling to survive. As the Obama administration ushers in a new era of foreign policy, this nation has an opportunity – an obligation – to aid our global neighbors in Darfur. You, an influential voice in the humanitarian community, can play a pivotal role in making this happen . . .
The Save Darfur Coalition’s "Be A Voice For Darfur" postcard campaign (http://addyourvoice.org) seeks to ensure that Darfur is a top priority for President-elect Obama, who has already promised “unstinting resolve” to end the Darfur Genocide. We aim for no less than 1 million postcards to be emailed and snail-mailed to President-elect) Obama within his first 100 days in office. With your help, we can draw desperately-needed political attention to the ongoing genocide in Darfur.
Can we ask you to add your voice? It takes only moments – please sign the pledge at http://www.addyourvoice.org/. Most importantly, you can influence others to stand up and be a voice for Darfur. Simply spread the word through your personal networks including The WIZARD blog.
· You’ll find a Darfur Blogger Toolkit with videos, photos, and other resources at www.addyourvoice.org/pages/blogger_toolkit.
· Facebook Causes and Save Darfur just launched their new petition application for the campaign. The new Facebook petition will be a gamechanger for cause-based social media marketing. If you’re already using Facebook Causes, you can access and sign the petition at http://apps.facebook.com/causes/72?m=618c3fb4&recruiter_id=6746654. (As an incentive, Save Darfur is offering a free t-shirt to anyone who recruits 100 signatures.)
Your participation in this life-or-death campaign has the potential to impact thousands. I am personally invested in finding ways for the social media community at large to use our influence for good, and sincerely hope you will join us.
If you’d like more information, please feel free to reach me at 703.894.5460 or mike@livingstonbuzz.com.
Thank you for being a Voice for Darfur.
Mike
Corinne,
I'm not sure how you gleaned that PNAC is the most left of the illuminati spectrum given members such as Bill Kristol (Chair), Karl Rove, the Bushes, Cheney... I could go on... belong. The organization is an elite, neoconservative think tank that strongly influenced Bush's policies.
I agree with you that the US has no right to push our mores on to other countries. You are right that this policy is outdated. We get into trouble every time we try to push others into our way of thinking.
And no, I'm not part of any militia. Are you? LOL! No, I'm not, and I felt the sting of your words. Your comment makes a good case for revisiting whether the Second Amendment is appropriate for the America of today. Thank you: You made my point. The Second Amendment supports the people to maintain their own well-regulated militia. The militia is our military.
Shoo, I think the militia argument does hold water; we can't agree with one part of an Amendment and ignore the other. I absolutely agree that we can't stop criminals from having guns by overturning the Second Amendment. There good points to this discussion on both sides of the issue.
Damn right about ERA! I love your comment that you're not holding up a white flag but recognize reality. I know that more women are living below the poverty line than men and 80% of head of households are women making, on average, $.77 on the man's dollar. I'm not holding up a white flag either.
You are so right that our founding fathers did not treat women equally when they wrote the constitution. It wasn't until the 15th Amendment that African Americans were granted the right to vote.
Funny story, Corrine. I was at work and I asked an African American man with whom I was friends if he was voting. He said, "Damn right. We didn't get the right to vote until 1870."
I just laughed and said, "It's been less than 100 years since my people got the right to vote." He looked puzzled for a second, and then he got my point. I always vote, even in the "small" elections, because of the 19th Amendment because of all the torture the Suffragists went through so I could have that right.
So, Shoo, as far as "all the writings at the time the constitution was ratified unanimously acclaim the right to bear arms as an individual right," we must also note that these amendments were meant to be somewhat fluid. Remember during that time, slaves were considered 3/7ths of a man and women had no property rights at all.
Corrine, I can't tell you how much I enjoyed your comment. Shoo, we may not agree, but you know you have my respect.
Mike, Thank you for your Darfur post even in the middle of this unrelated discussion. Your comments were noted, read and appreciated by all who visit here.
Another product of CONCEALED CARRY: Police: Pa. man shot for making noise during movie.
Post a Comment