Marine gets medal for thwarting robbery. Except according to the thugs themselves, it was going to go from robbery to murder and rape.
When the men overheard the robbers’ plan to rape the women and then shoot all the victims, Barner decided he had to take action. The sergeant, licensed to carry a concealed weapon, waited until the robbers were far enough away from the bedroom that he could grab the .40-caliber handgun in his book bag, which he had stashed in the room earlier that night. “The minute I heard the two [robbers] asking for a bullet count — that question isn’t asked for any good intention. I can’t think of any good reason anybody would ask that,” he said. “When I heard that, that was pretty much the tipping point.”
When the men overheard the robbers’ plan to rape the women and then shoot all the victims, Barner decided he had to take action. The sergeant, licensed to carry a concealed weapon, waited until the robbers were far enough away from the bedroom that he could grab the .40-caliber handgun in his book bag, which he had stashed in the room earlier that night.
“The minute I heard the two [robbers] asking for a bullet count — that question isn’t asked for any good intention. I can’t think of any good reason anybody would ask that,” he said. “When I heard that, that was pretty much the tipping point.”
Now, I’m a Marine myself (once and always). I’m 6’3”, north of 200 pounds, and surprisingly in better shape than most people nearing 40, but even I can’t take on multiple attackers mano y mano. With my Glock, I can defend myself, and others if need be, against a larger group out to do harm. So could Ensign Barner.
His gun wasn’t taken away from him, and even though the criminals had ‘the drop’ on the Devil Dog, he was still able to come out victorious. Having a gun will not prevent things like this from happening, it’s not a magical talisman that wards off danger, but it does give people a chance. The Brady Campaign, the VPC, and the Joyce Foundation would have preferred a room full of dead, raped people than allow Ensign Barner to carry a tool for self defense. And this is why I consider them evil.
Hat tip Tango