Darren Weeks
Coalition to Govern America
December 7, 2018
The "common sense" gun control legislation, pushed by many in the media and in government, could have very well made it impossible for a South Carolina homeowner to defend herself against a prison escapee.
Pickens County Sheriff Rick Clark said that the escapee, 30 year-old Bruce McLaughlin Jr., had just left prison less than 20 minutes earlier, where he and another inmate had staged their escape and had assaulted two prison guards in the process. McLaughlin, who was still wearing his orange prison jump suit, kicked in the door to the lady's home and entered, just before 3am. The escaped convict then picked up a 12-inch long knife sharpening tool from her kitchen and proceeded to her bedroom, trapping her in the room. The criminal was described by the sheriff as a "big guy" and that the victim was understandably "terrified".
Despite her fear, she was able to fire off a single round directly at the culprit's head, killing him instantly. She saved her own life, and perhaps several others.
Quoting from a CBS News report of the incident:
Clark said the woman had undergone firearms training and was licensed to carry a concealed weapon. He credited her for receiving the training and said it helped her save her own life.
"This lady took the time to get a [concealed weapons permit] and set herself up to protect herself, and not be harmed, raped, or killed," Clark said.
Clark said the intruder was a "big guy" and "if she hadn't had a weapon, there's no telling what could have happened. But she stopped the crime. She solved the crime for us, and she came out a winner."
Clark said he gave the woman a hug and told her how proud he was of her.
"Very few people, even cops, go through situations like that, and she's kind of a hero to us here today," Clark said.
One must ask the question if she would have come out "a winner", if advocates of Gun Control, trigger locks, mandated lock boxes, and other restrictions were in her way so that she would not have been able to access her weapon as quickly as she needed it — or have one at all. What if she had applied for a gun permit and was denied because a bureaucrat decided it was a type of weapon she didn't "need"? What if her mandatory "waiting period" was still pending?
This incident serves as yet another of countless such examples of under-reported events that take place, across the country, every day, where people lawfully use firearms for good. The numbers of these incidents which often receive no reporting at all, statistically dwarf that of the occasional high-profile mass shooting event. Why don't the media spend days, and even weeks, touting stories like this woman and her heroic act? Why isn't equal time given to the untold good that guns in the hands of lawful people accomplish every day?
Bruce McLaughlin Jr.'s criminal record is long, and spans a wide range of offenses, including drug possession and dealing, malicious injury to property, assaulting cops, disorderly conduct, and shoplifting. At the time he was shot, he was awaiting trial for grand larceny and burglary charges.
Thanks to the quick action and skill of a lawful and trained firearms owner, McLaughlin's criminal career has forever been ended. When the justice system and the cops failed to keep her safe, this brave lady was able to take matters into her own hands, and McLaughlin will never again victimize another person.
