La. Boy, 17, Grabs Gun, Foils Carjacking

Some news articles just trip my trigger.

The following is an article about a 17 year old who took action when a goblin attempted to car jack his Mom at a fast food drive through. This young man did a great job and should be held up as an example of what can be done to protect yourself and your family.

The AP does not see it that way.

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

La. Boy, 17, Grabs Gun, Foils Carjacking

A 17-year-old boy foiled an attempted carjacking, wrestling a gun from a would-be robber and shooting him after the man grabbed his mother, authorities said.

Carl Chestnut, wounded in the head and torso, will face armed robbery charges once he is released from East Jefferson General Hospital, Col. John Fortunato, a Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office spokesman, said Monday.

The 53-year-old woman, whose name wasn't released, and her son were in the drive-through line at an Arby's Roast Beef Restaurant early Monday when Chestnut, 44, walked up and pointed a gun at her, demanding their money and the car, Fortunato said.

When he leaned inside, trying to yank the mother out of the car, the 17-year-old grabbed the gun, Fortunato said. He said it went off once as they struggled, but did not hit anyone. Once the youth got the gun, he shot Chestnut several times, Fortunato said.

Good job.

Sylena Rhodes, a corporate officer for Arby's, said, "He saved his mother's life. He's a hero. He's an absolute hero."

Not everyone sees it that way:

While acknowledging the gamble succeeded, authorities stressed that it's safer to cooperate in such a case.

"Give them the money and give them the keys," Sheriff Harry Lee said. "You make an insurance payment on your car, and nobody gets shot."

I disagree. These are the same folks who would recommend that a woman "cooperate" with her rapist to prevent further injury.

First: All to often we read about, or watch the news story about, the victim who was shot, stabbed or beaten even though they attempted to cooperate.

Second: It is the duty of a free citizen to resist violent crime in any way possible. To cooperate with a goblin is to embolden that goblin. Cooperation empowers the goblin and makes it easier for him to strike again, each time becoming even more violent. Resist, even at the risk of personal injury. Resist, fight back, cut the goblins crime spree short.

That advice goes counter to some state laws that require a citizen to retreat, cower, capitulate and cooperate with an attacker before finally taking action. States such as this consider their citizens to be subjects, not free citizens with individual liberty.

Finn Aagaard wrote a great article on this subject:

Responsibly Armed