Death by Hammers: Should he Have Been Armed?
Russ Chastain 12.01.14
St. Louis, MO – In yet another display of how our society fails to value human life, 32-year-old Zemir Begic was reportedly attacked by at least 4 young males armed with hammers. After beating him, they fled. Begic later died of his injuries at a local hospital.
The incident began when several young people began beating on Begic’s vehicle. He got out to confront them, and four of the criminals began hitting him with hammers. The four then fled, presumably after Begic collapsed.
Two were captured and placed in juvenile custody. Two others are being sought, ages 16 and 15.
Ages 15 and 16. How sad.
And while it’s undeniably sad to think of how little our young people value the lives of themselves and others, it’s just as sad to think of how easily Begic might have avoided this fate.
All he needed was a gun.
Of course, nay-sayers will argue that shooting teenagers is a harsh response, that he had no chance because he was outnumbered, or that his gun could have been turned against him.
But chances are extremely good that he never would have had to use the gun, or leave his vehicle.
In many cases, just seeing a gun deters attackers. It happened to my uncle in Tampa, when rioters approached his car. He stayed in his car and brandished a 44 revolver, and they left in a hurry. It happened to my father, when his truck was being approached by a large, spooky-looking dude on a lonely street. The mere sight of a handgun turned that guy away. And when a carload of troublemakers began to hassle me on the highway, I didn’t even have to show a gun. Just the act of leaning forward to reach under the seat to pick up a pistol was enough to send them on their way.
Guns save lives and prevent crimes every day, and they usually don’t even have to be fired.
When I think of Mr. Begic’s young widow, to whom he had only been married six months, I can’t help but join her mourning. And I am thankful that several of my family members (including my wife, who was with me in the car) were spared from a possible similar fate just because we were armed.
If Begic had just had a gun, chances are extremely good that merely showing it would have defused the situation and caused the kids to scatter and leave him alone. I sure wish that had been the case.
The world is a dangerous place. Get a gun. Learn how to use it. Pray you never have to, but remember that it’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
