Interesting Read…
August 18th, 2008 by Syd
‘Guns in the hands of good people’
A testament to Second Amendment rightsBRIAN FENTIMAN
June 28, 2008, was a defining moment in my life. It was the day I shot and killed a man in the defense of my life and the lives of others. We all have defining moments. They might not be as tragic as taking another man’s life, but they are events that change the way we look at things — or even, perhaps, how we live our lives.
Before that muggy Saturday evening in June, I would have said my defining moments were many: graduating from high school; enlisting in the Army; getting married; having children; getting run over by a tow truck; and especially, meeting my fiancée, Maria. All of these events, and more, have happened in my life and changed me.
h/t David Codrea at War on Guns
Commentary: I think Fentiman’s actions were noble, and this piece is especially well-written in terms of describing his experience of this incident. Interjecting oneself into a violent confrontation between two or more strangers is a very risky thing to do. It is risky from a tactical point of view and it is risky in terms of the legal liability that one may face when deadly force is introduced into the situation. Fentiman is fortunate that the District Attorney ruled the shooting justifiable, and I think that was the correct judgment. However, many jurisdictions will rule otherwise or at least indict so that the matter can be resolved in a court of law. Civilians who go armed need to be very clear on the laws concerning deadly force in the jurisdiction where they are.
He’s either balsy or foolish for publishing his thoughts. It is very interesting to read none the less. For those who think of situations involving defense with a firearm, it is definitely food for thought.
Well, he’s ballsy for getting into the situation in the first place, so it doesn’t surprise me that he’s talking about it in public. He was taking a huge legal risk by interjecting himself into the situation. If both of the bad guys had actually been armed, they probably could have put him down. I applaud his courage and willingness to help, and I wasn’t there, but I question the wisdom of playing lone ranger on this one.
I’m sure some legal eagle will point out that by publishing his thoughts on the incident he could provide the family of the deceased with ammunition for a civil suit.