DC Shootings

I think the term terrorist is beginning to be used a bit too loosely. Since when is an psychopath with a rifle a terrorist? I don't think I've ever heard anyone call Charles Whitman a terrorist. Megan has it right:

Of course, the police are saying he must be some sort of superpredator, but then the police like to make everyone out as a superpredator -- no one wants to admit they're being outwitted by Barney Fife. But this sounds to me as if its the randomness of the crimes, rather than the skill of the shooter, that's making him hard to catch.

I think I remember a movie - it may have been simply titled Serial Killer - in which the bad guy gets away with murders in large part because of the randomness of the crimes and the fact that he pulls them off some distance from his actual residence. Hyena - do you remember that movie?

Also, InstaPundit quoted some other blog about how this is a great time to increase the number of guns on the streets and to invigorate a public safety program and that yeah if we promote these TIPS-styled projects there may be some misunderstandings but we really just all need to be better crime fighters on an individual level. That's all nice and good, but let's imagine another, similar scenario.

Let's pretend that I live in Maryland and I am going into work one evening because I have to pick up some papers that I mistakenly left behind. It's the evening, and it's just going to be a quick trip, so I drive the car instead of taking the Metro. I'm a big web surfer, and I watch the news, so I know what's going on, and I am particularly wary of white vans. Just as I cross into the official boundaries of DC, I happen to see a white van in an empty parking lot across the street from a liquor store. Sudenly, I notice that there is a black rifle barrel sticking out of the back of the slightly ajar van doors. I immediately pull over, dial 911 on my cell phone and grab my Glock from the glove compartment. As I'm dialing a shot rings out. I don't even take a second to see if anyone near the liquor store is hurt. I take my Glock and go running for the van. I can tell immediately that I have been seen as the rifle barrel pivots and starts to point at me. I stop. I raise my gun and hope to hell I can get my shot off before the other guy does. I fire one round and then two more. Two out of three hit the guy, and he rolls out the back of the van. But suddenly, the van pulls away. There were two men. The shooter is dead, but there's another maniac still driving around. Luckily, after identifying the dead guy, the police are able to identify and quickly arrest the accomplice.

Now for the real justice. What in the world was I thinking? I knew that I was in DC when I pulled out my gun. You can't have guns in DC. In DC, only the criminals have guns. I have just committed a homicide and broken probably a half dozen gun statutes. I spend $25,000 - all I can afford - on a good defense lawyer. To no avail. The laws are clearly written. I go to jail and end up, ironically, sharing a cell with the driver who is obviously pissed at me as I am largely responsible for his getting caught (all of my speeches and pleadings about personal responsibility and taking blame for your actions seem to fall on deaf ears). I spend two nights in jail. During the third night, the driver kills me in my sleep. Glad I stopped to help.

Jonathan 10/05/2002 02:42:00 PM