Life in Chicago can be rough, and having city leaders that are tougher on law-abiding gun owners than on violent criminals makes it a lot rougher.
Just ask the Chicago mother who confronted two home invaders inside her house on May 18. Her response was to call 911—a prudent move in any emergency—but when the chips were down, the woman, known only as Michelle to ensure her privacy, didn’t get the help she was expecting.
Six calls and four hours later, Chicago police finally arrived at her home. Of course, the home intruders were long gone by then.
The most-interesting part of the story is what the dispatcher said to Michelle on one of her six calls for help. “The dispatcher also asked me if I would consider defending myself … if I had a weapon or considered getting one,” she told ABC News.
It seems that even the Chicago 911 dispatcher realized that police can’t be counted on to help citizens when they really need it, and that they must be prepared to help themselves. Of course, many citizens of the Windy City have already realized that fact, including three who used their firearms to defend themselves and their families in just one recent weekend (May 31-June 2).
On May 31, a Chicago concealed-carry permit holder was taking a beating from three men when his concealed firearm made all the difference. According to a CBS News report, the four men were in a disagreement when three of them began beating the other. The fourth man, a 43-year-old permit holder, drew his handgun and shot all three, sending them to the hospital.
The permit holder was also transported to the hospital in critical condition. But things could have ended much worse if he hadn’t been prepared and ready to defend himself.
Early the very next morning, a man with a concealed-carry permit was walking to his car in Irving Park when three people jumped out of another car with guns drawn and ordered him to give them his car keys. According to a CBS News report, when the man drew his gun and fired a shot at the car, the carjackers turned and ran.
Then, early the next morning, just after midnight, a potential home invader tried to break into a house when he found the residence to not be easy pickings for whatever nefarious business he had in mind. Upon entering the home, the invader was greeted by an armed homeowner. The homeowner shot to protect himself. The man who broke into the home was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was later listed in critical condition. The homeowner was uninjured.
All three of the self-defense incidents are still under investigation, and, as this was being written, no arrests had been made of those using their firearms to defend themselves.
Don’t think that these were isolated events, however. Just a week earlier, a Chicago woman shot and injured an armed carjacker who was trying to take her vehicle. The injured carjacker was taken to the hospital and later arrested.
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