Tough Stuff

Ginter Botanical Garden.  Copyright 2012: singeronthesand

...love your neighbor as you love yourself.

Mark 12:31

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that I live next door to two pit bulls.  I am not fond of the dogs, and to be bluntly honest, I am not fond of the young woman who owns them.  She has no regard for the leash laws of our county, and lets the dogs out the front door to do their thing, without concern for anyone in the neighborhood who might be out walking, watering their lawn, etc.  I have tried speaking to the family, to no avail.  I have, on occasion, called animal control.  I have also sat in my car for over 20 minutes with the older pit bull standing guard, waiting for me to be dumb enough to open the door.

According to a fascinating Reuters report published on Wednesday, George Zimmerman [the neighborhood watchman who is accused of killing a black teenager in Florida] began dealing with a menacing pit bull in 2009.  The first time the dog cornered his wife, Mr. Zimmerman spoke with the owner.  The next time there was a confrontation with the dog, Mr. Zimmerman called Animal Control and bought pepper spray.  The third time he saw the dog on the loose, he called the cops.  A patrol officer came out to investigate, and gave Mr. Zimmerman this advice:  "Don't use pepper spray.  It will take two to three seconds to take effect, but a quarter of a second for the dog to jump you.  Get a gun."  [Reuters]

Mr. and Mrs. Zimmerman did exactly that.  They took fire arms training, applied for and received permits to carry a concealed weapon, and went out and bought a gun for each of them.  In 2011, when neighborhood crime raised its ugly head in their gated community, Mr. Zimmerman began carrying his gun on his neighborhood watch patrols - a direct violation of his neighborhood watch rulebook, but not a crime. Most of his neighbors did not know he carried a gun until February 26, when Mr. Zimmerman shot and killed an unarmed teenager.

I've not kept track of the number of times I have "wished" I had a gun when the pit bull next door charges toward me with teeth bared.  Thankfully, I have never really contemplated getting one.  Mr. Zimmerman did make the choice to obtain a weapon - a decision he had every right to make.   I can't help but wonder, however, what different decisions Mr. Zimmerman might have made on that cold February night if that gun had not been so readily available in his pocket.