A clearly frustrated South Carolina sheriff had some harsh words for the criminal justice system after a man with a long history of arrests attacked and sexually assaulted a woman in a Spartanburg park.
“I can tell you that our form of justice is not making it,” said Sheriff Chuck Wright in a videotaped press conference posted on YouTube.
Wright said the suspect in the attack, Walter Monroe Lance, 46, has been arrested multiple times and convicted of 20 charges dating back to 1983. The charges range from disorderly conduct to assault and battery with intent to kill. Most recently, the suspect served 14 months for a federal probation violation.
“I’ve had liberals call me and tell me ‘a chain gang is not going to work.’ Well, let me inform you that your form of justice isn’t working either,” Wright said.
A clearly exasperated Wright said he does not believe every criminal should be permanently jailed, but added, while holding up a photo of the suspect, “I believe that this animal right here don’t deserve to be out in our society walking alongside of our women.”
Wright said it was “almost too bad” that someone with a concealed weapons permit had not walked by during the attack and heard the victim’s cries.
“That would have fixed this,” he said.
Sheriff Wright encouraged females to walk in groups and get a concealed weapons permit.
“I don’t want you to go for the mace, I want you to go for the concealed weapons permit,” he said.
Though Wright said he did not want to see citizens placed in a position of having to use a firearm, he said there was only one form of gun control as far as he was concerned.
“Gun control, to me, is when you can get your barrel back on the target quick,” he said.
What are your thoughts on gun control? Do you believe citizens should arm themselves? .
The comment about mace simply underscores the current “catch and release” approach is no longer effective. (As demonstrated unfortunately by our borders)
It would CERTAINLY make identifying them easier as finger prints are recorded upon issuing a permit, among other things.
HOWEVER, I wonder if the Federal Firearm License (FFL) would be yanked in the ATL case, unless that specific firearm was just on its way to Mexico...
+1 for "unless that specific firearm was just on its way to Mexico..."
We as citizens have choices to make. We can either depend on someone else to defend us and our family, or we can get the proper permits, get trained and protect ourselves. I choose to do the latter. It is a personal choice and that said, having and/or carrying a gun is not for everyone. If you are not clear, without a doubt, that you are willing to kill to protect your life or the lives of your family, you do not need a gun. It is not realistic to think that the police will arrive in time to "save" you if some thugs decide to kick in your front door and beat or rape you or your daughter. If I only have seconds to react to crime, I want to be taking aim and not calling 9-1-1. Gun owners are some of the most law abiding citizens on the planet. We have to be fingerprinted, checked by the GBI and follow strict rules as to where guns can be worn and what we are allowed by law to do with them in an emergency. I cannot say that for criminals. Guns are out there, criminals are out there and they have no respect for me or my family. I choose to protect myself and have learned how to do that effectively. That said, I pray I never have to use my gun, but I will if I have to. Even the SC sheriff realizes the system is broken.
While I agree that carrying openly does not in and of itself make a person more dangerous, I do think it reveals something of their mindset. You must agree to a certain extent or you wouldn't choose to carry concealed as most of us choose to do when we carry. As for home defense, a rifle is a terrible choice. For one thing, it is not a close range weapon. For another, you could end up shooting straight through your house and into your neighbors or your neighbors' house with one. Frankly, you could do that with a handgun too if you are a bad shot. A shotgun is a decent choice and racking a shotgun does produce a psychological deterrent to criminals second only to the actual sound of a shotgun discharge. Personally, I prefer a pistol, but to each his or her own.
Good luck carrying that AK CONCEALED, you must have one heck of a trenchcoat... As to "using a pistol to fight your way to a shotgun", may you never be MY backup when things go south.
And to Mr. R - I'm not sure where you continue to get concealed, as the AK47 that was carried at the park was not carried concealed, and nor is it the requirement in the state of GA to carry concealed. If you believe your pistol is a better choice of weapon than a long gun, then you too should seek out some actual training in real world scenarios. Furthermore, an AR would be my choice, not a shotgun given some magical advanced warning of a self defense scenario.
I hunt with with long range rifle and conceal carry for SURPRISE if required. Gun control also means you have to KEEP your weapon at all times - in a crowd carrying an AK47 in the open at an event like "Occupy whatever" is just asking for someone to SURPRISE and disarm you in close quarters ...
Ms. Reed, I will agree that anyone that chooses to arm themselves should take and continue to take training in the proper use of their firearm(s) from qualified individuals. With that said, for those that may be interested in taking proper training, I'd like to point out that beyond the very basic of firearm safety, the NRA type courses are not the types of courses you are going to need to pursue.