# Positive Gun News of the Day **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 22, 2015, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490 "2015-10-22T22:57:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/121 "2015-11-11T07:23:15Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > [Robbery Attempt At Light Rail Station Backfires When Would-Be Victim Gets The Gun](http://denver.cbslocal.com/2015/09/03/robbery-attempt-at-light-rail-station-backfires-when-would-be-victim-gets-the-gun/) > Robbery suspect shot with his own gun - that he wasn’t legally able to possess And your idea of a positive gun story is that a person who was able to illegally obtain a gun attempted to rob people, fired at them three times, but then had the gun taken off him by one of the victims? You are effectively saying that really nasty events that didn’t go as badly as they could have are good things. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/122 "2015-11-11T08:04:12Z")
> [@Gary\_Kumquat](#): > > You think that a young mother being shot twice ends up being in a positive story for guns, because she was able to shoot back? Of course. Her son will grow up with his mother, her husband will continue life with the woman he loves, and the young woman will get to spend the rest of her life enjoying countless birthdays, Christmases, summers at the pool, her son’s growth to adulthood and beyond, her grandchildren, etc., etc., etc. All the things her would-be killers would have deprived her of had she not been able to arm herself. If your point is that in the ideal world you imagine where no criminal ever has a gun then this woman wouldn’t have been shot in the first place, I’ll agree that in that fictional scenario she wouldn’t have been shot. Of course she still could have been stabbed or bludgeoned or killed in any number of other ways that criminals in countries with strict gun control kill their victims (and, given how attractive she is, probably raped in the bargain), so I’d still prefer she be armed with a gun. Guns are great equalizers. They put 105 lb. women on even ground with 225 lb. thugs and allow them to escape all manner of evil which they’d otherwise be unable to escape. Knives, swords, clubs or simple brute strength can inflict all sorts of harm on their victims. A gun more than equalizes such a threat. > [@Gary Kumquat](#): > > And your idea of a positive gun story is that a person who was able to illegally obtain a gun attempted to rob people, fired at them three times, but then had the gun taken off him by one of the victims? > > You are effectively saying that really nasty events that didn’t go as badly as they could have are good things. A good ending means that what happened to create that ending is a good thing. Would you not agree that had those three shots not missed or the shooter hadn’t been unarmed and the people being robbed killed, that would have been a bad thing? Of course it’s a good thing they were able to disarm the shooter. This stuff is dog simple. I can’t believe it’s even open to argument. And if your stance is that it would have been better had the robber not been armed to begin with, I refer you back to what I said two paragraphs above. ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/123 "2015-11-11T08:13:24Z")
Never mind ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/124 "2015-11-11T14:43:43Z")
> [@Gary\_Kumquat](#): > > And your idea of a positive gun story is that a person who was able to illegally obtain a gun attempted to rob people, fired at them three times, but then had the gun taken off him by one of the victims? > > You are effectively saying that really nasty events that didn’t go as badly as they could have are good things. Of course not - the positive part is that the robbery suspect was shot with his own gun. The events leading up to that point were negative. Wouldn’t you agree? I am saying that even in the face of horrible circumstances, people can use guns in a positive way. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/125 "2015-11-11T14:50:44Z")
And in other news, [Homeowner shoots suspect during home invasion](http://www.khou.com/story/news/crime/2015/09/29/channelview-man-shoots-suspect-who-broke-into-his-home/73050936/) > [@](#): > > A homeowner here shot a man who claimed he was with a gas company but tried to break into his home, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. > > The suspect was with another man who asked the homeowner where his gas meter was located Tuesday afternoon. The homeowner directed the two men to his backyard, but told deputies he was suspicious and grabbed a gun. > > The suspects broke into the home and assaulted the homeowner, sheriff’s officials said, before the homeowner grabbed his gun and fired at the suspects. No one inside the home was injured. > > One of the men was hit and the other ran but was later caught. The wounded suspect was transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital. As a general rule I wouldn’t answer the door for uninvited or unscheduled people. Another DGU with no one dead. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/126 "2015-11-11T15:40:56Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > Her son will grow up with his mother, her husband will continue life with the woman he loves, and the young woman will get to spend the rest of her life enjoying countless birthdays, Christmases, summers at the pool, her son’s growth to adulthood and beyond, her grandchildren, etc., etc., etc. OK, let me see if I’ve got the rules for this Positive Gun Event thing then. > **['Person of Interest' Arrested in Texas Judge's Shooting](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/judge-julie-kocurek-shooting-police-arrest-person-interest-n460491)** > > District Judge Julie Kocurek was shot in the driveway of her Austin home. Sure the judge was shot, and suffered an extremely serious injury…but the police have arrested someone, presumably using guns as they did so, so all in all it’s a Positive Gun Event, right? ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/127 "2015-11-11T16:45:49Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > Of course not - the positive part is that the robbery suspect was shot with his own gun. The events leading up to that point were negative. Wouldn’t you agree? > > I am saying that even in the face of horrible circumstances, people can use guns in a positive way. Apropos of this thread, I quote Francis from \*Stripes \*: “All I know is I finally get to kill somebody.” ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/128 "2015-11-11T19:17:18Z")
> [@Gary\_Kumquat](#): > > OK, let me see if I’ve got the rules for this Positive Gun Event thing then. > > [Judge Julie Kocurek Shooting: Police Arrest 'Person of Interest'](http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/judge-julie-kocurek-shooting-police-arrest-person-interest-n460491) > > Sure the judge was shot, and suffered an extremely serious injury…but the police have arrested someone, presumably using guns as they did so, so all in all it’s a Positive Gun Event, right? Nope, you still don’t get it. Neither does **Jack Batty**. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/129 "2015-11-11T19:51:09Z")
> [@Gary\_Kumquat](#): > > And your idea of a positive gun story is that a person who was able to illegally obtain a gun attempted to rob people, fired at them three times, but then had the gun taken off him by one of the victims? > > You are effectively saying that really nasty events that didn’t go as badly as they could have are good things. Would you prefer they played out in the most atrocious possible way? ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/130 "2015-11-11T19:54:30Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > :dubious: No, that is not “Positive Gun News,” that is a worse outcome than if he had gotten away with the money. The contents of a cash register are worth nobody’s life. You are ignoring, willfully I suspect, that the robber decided when he initiated events that the contents of the cash register were worth somebody’s life. He was betting that the life would not be his. It is a positive outcome when the robber loses that bet. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/131 "2015-11-11T20:44:21Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Sounds like this is a bit of Negative Gun News. Because, you know, it doesn’t seem like the fact that he wasn’t legally able to possess a gun was much of an impediment to his becoming a Bad Guy With A Gun. Exactly. And banning guns isn’t going to make it any harder for him. It will just make it impossible for the rest of us. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/132 "2015-11-11T20:45:23Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > So the positive news is that many gun owners are ignorant of the laws about carrying guns and sometimes their ignorance is at least allowed for? Or are you secretly campaigning for much better required training before people are permitted to carry guns in any state. If so I applaud you. The positive news is that governors are handing out pardons for violations of stupid laws. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/133 "2015-11-11T20:51:51Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > If I’m “protecting life” it’s not an armed robber but a murderer. In that situation yes. > Between killing someone and the $200 or $300 in the till (or my wallet), no I wouldn’t shoot to kill. You must be a pretty good shot if you can place your bullets well enough to prevent death. BTW, how do you know if the guy pointing the gun at you is just a robber or a murderer? Would it surprise you to find out that the felons that are most likely to become murderers are violent felons including armed robbers? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/134 "2015-11-11T20:58:40Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > Nope, you still don’t get it. OK, explain the difference. Why is your story (woman gets shot, fires back at attackers) more of a positive event than mine (woman gets shot, armed police arrest suspect). How about this one: > **[Police: Illinois cop's death was 'carefully staged suicide' after 'criminal...](https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/fox-lake-lt-joseph-gliniewicz-committed-suicide-illinois-police-criminal-acts-msna717176)** > > The Illinois cop whose death sparked a massive manhunt killed himself in a "carefully staged suicide" after committing "extensive criminal acts," police said. Gun owner shoots person who had committed extensive criminal acts - that’s positive, right? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/135 "2015-11-11T20:59:47Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Would you prefer they played out in the most atrocious possible way? Actually no. But then again I’m not the one rushing to describe events that sound pretty damned horrible to me as “positive” ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/136 "2015-11-11T21:32:00Z")
> [@Gary\_Kumquat](#): > > Actually no. But then again I’m not the one rushing to describe events that sound pretty damned horrible to me as “positive” Until you come up with a reliable method of identifying those who would rob, rape, and/or kill before they commit those crimes, we must take our positives where we xan find them. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/137 "2015-11-11T22:45:03Z")
> [@Gary\_Kumquat](#): > > Actually no. But then again I’m not the one rushing to describe events that sound pretty damned horrible to me as “positive” I think we have the capacity to evaluate components of an event, rather than the event in total. Do you think that’s true? Do you think the fact that a victim of a crime was able to defend them self sounds horrible? ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/138 "2015-11-11T22:59:46Z")
> [@Gary\_Kumquat](#): > > OK, explain the difference. Why is your story (woman gets shot, fires back at attackers) more of a positive event than mine (woman gets shot, armed police arrest suspect). > > How about this one: > > [Police: Illinois cop's death was 'carefully staged suicide' after 'criminal acts'](http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/fox-lake-lt-joseph-gliniewicz-committed-suicide-illinois-police-criminal-acts) > > Gun owner shoots person who had committed extensive criminal acts - that’s positive, right? Your misleading synopsis is not even clever. Are you saying that a person committing suicide is positive? I think you’re confused which thread you’re in. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/139 "2015-11-12T05:39:42Z")
Since people are doing this, I randomly came across: [Home Alone Boy, 13, Shoots Suspected Burglar Dead With His Mother’s Gun](https://ca.news.yahoo.com/boy-aged-13-home-alone-113457550.html) No, it’s not Macaulay Culkin. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/140 "2015-11-12T05:48:44Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > Your misleading synopsis is not even clever. Are you saying that a person committing suicide is positive? But I thought you wanted examples of incidents where guns stopped the bad guy? Doesn’t this count? He was a criminal. He was shot by a gun. I’d have thought that’s exactly what you wanted? By the way, regarding the Auraria West light rail station, I’ve been thinking about it and I’m not sure if that’s really a good one for this thread. > [@](#): > > Then a scuffle ensues between the suspect and one of the victims, at that point the weapon becomes loose and the other victim picks up the gun and fires at the suspect,” Downs said I think that should be in a “positive scuffle news of the day” thread. What do you reckon? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490.md?page=8)