I can see the bumper sticker now: Concealed Carry Solution to all Problems
Now that Republican politicians and AG's are encouraging open carry and concealed carry advocates to exercise their rights anywhere they damn well please, we're now seeing the end result of the supposed "self defense" illogic of it all. What might have been considered a heated exchange resulting in fist pounding and shoving, it is now being portrayed as a "threat." From Idahostatesman.com
Why would anyone pull a gun on an unarmed guy objecting to someone staking out their home? Here's where gun advocates are ultimately taking us as a society; pulling a gun is one way of "de-escalating" a confrontation. I kid you not. McAffee told a fellow Ron Paul supporter...:An Idaho Republican Party leader who helped oust the state GOP chairman in 2008 faces charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after an altercation escalated while he photographed a home with a delinquent mortgage.
Challis McAffee, 33, was arrested after being accused of pointing a gun at the homeowner. McAffee works for a contractor hired by Wells Fargo & Co. to document the condition of homes where mortgages are past due or in foreclosure. McAffee, (is) a ... Ron Paul (backer) and an activist in this year's anti-big-government "Tea Party" protests.
Resident Robert Lutes called officers just before 5:30 p.m. Tuesday to report McAffee had pointed a .357 Magnum handgun at him during a verbal confrontation. McAffee acknowledged he pointed the gun at Lutes ... "I'm unarmed, I'm an old man," Lutes, 51, (said) "I'm trying to find out why he's taking pictures of my house. I said, 'Knock on my door, let me know what you want.' Then, I think he's reaching for his business card and he pulls out a concealed weapon and I think he's going to blow my head off." Lutes said the gun was beneath a cloth on the floor of the
passenger side of McAffee's vehicle.
Lutes confronted McAffee, becoming increasingly hostile. When Lutes struck McAffee's Ford Escort with his hand, McAffee brandished the weapon to de-escalate the conflict. According to McAffee's friend, "Challis is one of the most mild-mannered, good-natured guys. The conversation wasn't going anywhere, the guy smacked the car window. At that point, he (McAffee) felt threatened enough, he picked up the firearm in front of the seat that he carries for protection. The nature of the job is, you're going to run into some unhappy people."Smacking a cars window is "threatening enough?" Are you getting a better picture now of what carry advocates mean by defending themselves in "threatening" situations? Oh, and how does the poor guy who hired this gun brandishing hot head feel now
Tony Schewmaker, the Wells Fargo contractor who hired McAffee ... objected to the $50,000 bond amount, saying the steep figure resulted from (the) Judges ... objections to the weapon. "Apparently, we can't use a gun in our own protection. You can have it to look pretty. But if somebody is attempting to attack you, you can't pull it out of the holster. That's what I'm gathering from this."
An unarmed guy, angry over someone taking pictures of his house, is the dangerous one here? If this is how gun carry advocates are thinking now about "defending" themselves, imagine their mindset ten years from now.
By the way, employers like BIG banks aren't real hot on gun resolution techniques:
Wells Fargo said it would investigate the incident. "Mr. McAffee's behavior is horrific and absolutely inexcusable," said Jason Menke, a spokesman for the bank. "Our policy is to ensure that our customers, including those in financial distress, are always treated respectfully and with dignity.
Meanwhile, Lutes ... said he may hire a lawyer to pursue a civil complaint against the bank, McAffee, and Schewmaker's company. "The contractor is liable, he (McAffee) is liable and Wells Fargo is liable," Lutes said. "He wouldn't have been there if it wouldn't have been for Wells Fargo strong-arming people."
Good lord!
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