December 5th, 2009
A 56 year old woman is awakened around midnight to the sound of her dogs barking. She grabs a shotgun and heads downstairs to see what is going on. She finds a man banging on the door trying to get in the house.
She calls 911. The police are too far away. She tells the operator she does not want to shoot the man, but she will kill him if he comes into her house.
He grabs a patio chair and breaks into the back door. She does not know why he is unstable, but she knows he is unsafe. She has no choice, she shoots him.
Fortunately, Oklahoma law allows her to defend herself on her property. Had she lived in New York, the outcome could have been much different.
For the rest of her life, she will wonder if she did the right thing and she will regret taking a human life.
I was the target of a home invasion almost two years ago. The assailants were armed and they wanted money for drugs. I was not armed. I thought I was at their mercy. Thankfully, we were all at God's mercy. The terror of that night and the horrible trials that followed have taught me a lot about justice -- and mercy.
Looking back, I am ok with the way my home invasion has turned out. The criminals have a chance to repent and live life the right way. At the same time, I confess if I had a gun that night, I would have shot. If people know we are armed and willing to defend our homes, home invasions will go on the decline.
My prayers go out to this lady -- an innocent victim forced to defend herself. My prayers also go out to the family of the man who broke into her house.
