Not on the ROE card for private citizens in Long Island, apparently:
George Grier said he had to use his rifle on Sunday night to stop what he thought was going to be an invasion of his Uniondale home by a gang he thought might have been the vicious “MS-13.” He said the whole deal happened as he was about to drive his cousin home.
“I went around and went into the house, ran upstairs and told my wife to call the police. I get the gun and I go outside and I come into the doorway and now, by this time, they are in the driveway, back here near the house. I tell them, you know, ‘Can you please leave?’ Grier said.
Grier said the five men dared him to use the gun; and that their shouts brought another larger group of gang members in front of his house.
“He starts threatening my family, my life. ‘Oh you’re dead. I’m gonna kill your family and your babies. You’re dead.’ So when he says that, 20 others guys come rushing around the corner. And so I fired four warning shots into the grass,” Grier said.
Grier was later arrested.
A legal owner of the AK-47, Grief was charged with Reckless Endangerment, a Class D felony, for firing shots into his lawn.
And if this was indeed MS-13 – a ruthless and organized criminal gang with 2000 members in Nassau County, I doubt we have heard the last of Mr. Grier, and his family.
This gun owner should be lauded for using his head and firing to bury the (soon maybe to be outlawed by EPA lead cored) rounds safely, not leaving them to the phenomena discovered by Newton that the people in other nations often forget “what goes up, must come down” effect, thereby endangering others who most likely have no dog in the fight from a block or two away.
OTOH, GreenPeace may come around and try to get him for hurting Gaia and some blades of grass.
It’s the victims who are being blamed for defending themselves….not a good way to maintain a civil society.
Please pardon my to quick trigger finger pointing at the EPA, before you run out to the Gun Show this weekend. Seems that plan to cut off the ammo by the Environmental Federales got squashed. Details @ HotAir.
Only for NOW, xformed. A simple tactical retreat prior to the elections to as not to wave the red flag in front of the conservative bull. Like the Terminator, “they’ll be back” for another go at it post election, trust me. Like all good bureaucratic Kafka-like leftoids/proto-communists, those people never sleep.
“bureaucratic Kafka-like leftoids/proto-communists”
I like that phrase. I was going to use Leftist/Socialist/Democrat/Communists, though I may have to borrow yours instead.
Though apparently even the bureaucratic Kafka-like leftoids/proto-communists are becoming concerned about how much they are going to lose this November. Lord, the need to lose very badly.
America may not survive, IMO, another two years if the political process remains under the control of BHO and his minions.
It is not very much fun to live in interesting times.
VX, don’t you mean Bob Hope’s Zombies?
Oh, they sleep alright….in nice hotels in Martha’s Vineyard, and Paris and New York….on our dime, before getting up to see how they can end run the law, or use the 1st Amendment in their favor.
New York lawmakers are the greatest danger law abiding New Yorkers face.
Interestingly, those who flee to the mountain west, where gun and other laws are quite different, to get away from the dangers of New York, reliably start to advocate imitating New York laws within 5 years of their arrival.
Some sort of pollution of the water supply from the Hudson leads to brain damage? Existing science is unclear.
Just speechless.
“Grier also said he was afraid the gang outside his house was the dreaded MS-13. And Nassau County Police Lt. Andrew Mulraine, head of the gang unit, said MS-13 has 2,000 members in the county.
“They’re probably the most organized. They almost have a military hierarchy within the gang, so they are the most organized gang we encounter on a daily basis,” Mulraine said.”
2,000 organized, militant known gang members in this one county, with whom the police have business “on a daily basis.” Why in the HELL aren’t the RICO laws being used to clean up this human garbage, so that law-abiding citizens don’t HAVE to defend their homes???
That would be racist, not to mention demonstrating disrespect for a dissimilar culture. Who are we to judge?
In El Salvador, they shoot these animales on sight.
If it’s MS-13, the next thing you’ll hear from the Grier family (not counting the court documents about him being tried and convicted on charges of hate crimes against poor Hispanics of course) will be the reports of them all having died in some terrible accident…
God Bless Texas.
Here we have the Castle Doctrine in effect.
You come onto my home and property threatening my family?
You can count yourself lucky if all you get is warning shots.
Had that happened here, there would be a dozen or so fewer MS-13 members for the rest of the coutry to worry about.
CG-23 Sailor … We went out to dinner last night with another elderly couple, to celebrate that sweet little old lady getting her concealed carry permit. As you point out, “a mans/woman’s home is his/her castle” down here in Texas. Thank the good Lord.
Marianne
Four shots wasted.
heh…. my sentiments exactly.
The comments section of that article that Lex is sharing is very telling. The comments, at least the ones I read, were virtually 100% in defense of the homeowner….and there are hundreds of comments if not over 1,000. The public understands; will government learn?
SteveC, that’s exactly it. Government everywhere just doesn’t get it. They are not listening to us but they will hear us this November. Throw the bums out.
“The public understands; will government learn?”
For the answer to that question, See Lex’s follow-up blog “Holywood Right”
When I first read your headline I figured that it meant that he didn’t fire warning shots, he started shooting these people immediately. And he was ARRESTED?
Warning shots are a waste of ammo and only give your position away to counter-fire. Better start stockpiling your weapons and ammunition now, if you haven’t already. Remember. . .BOTH of the last two Supreme Court appointees lied during their appointment hearings by calling the right for individuals to own firearms as ‘set law’, only to renege on that policy as soon as they were confirmed. We are on the extreme edge of a future where only the criminals will own guns. . . .the bad guys, and those of us that insist on self protection, no matter what the Feds decide about private gun ownership.
Just sayin’
He should have stayed in the house and waited until they tried to break in. Then, he would have been completely within his rights to shoot them.
He shouldn’t have been arrrested, but going outside to confront the gang wasn’t the best move he could have made.
I agree, confronting (by yourself) a group of 5 individuals you suspect of being gang members, whether you are armed or not, probably isn’t the best path towards a peaceful resolution.
I’d bet that words better left unsaid were spoken between the two parties as he was about to take his cousin to where-ever. Which started the whole rhubarb.
Interestingly, from the timeline the article presents, he ran upstairs to tell his wife to call the police, then confronted the initial group of five while holding his weapon. The initial group dared him to use his weapon. Then another larger group of ‘possible’ gang members joined the party, and finally, after more verbal threats were made, he fired his weapon aimed into the ground, with the idea that the “ShotSpotter” system would bring the police to the scene quickly. It seems this guy has more faith in the “ShotSpotter” system to bring the police around than his wife calling 911.
Of course, if you live in a community that needs and has a “ShotSpotter” system installed, maybe it’s time to think about picking up stakes and moving on.
Although 2,000 gang members in one county sounds likes a lot, Nassau County (which has Queens on its’ western border)has an estimated total population of approx. 1.36m based on 2009 numbers.
“Although 2,000 gang members in one county sounds likes a lot, Nassau County (which has Queens on its’ western border)has an estimated total population of approx. 1.36m based on 2009 numbers.”
2,000 known thugs is still 2,000 known thugs.
Only takes crazy one to kill this guy and his family, regardless of how many million ‘neighbors’ he has. Especially now that he’s been disarmed & jailed, and is now defenseless.
That is 2000 armed, violent, semi-trained thugs v. a mostly unarmed and cowed populace. Effectively a light regiment against an unorganized civilian population.
Living only a few miles, but a world away from the site of this incident, I was most surprised by the mention of the “Shot Spotter” which alerted the police to the weapons discharge. I had no idea that the cops had sensors that could locate a gun shot to within a few yards. That’s both amazing and frightening. What else can they detect?
Daryle -
How long have you been living here? I live in Suffolk, and if I remember correctly, the systems were installed in Hempstead and Roosevelt about two years ago, the effort being funded partially by federal grant money. A lot of coverage in Newsday.
But what do I know? That Hudson water is makin’ my head hurt.
I’ve been living in Massapequa for 38 years. I stopped buying Newsday at least 10 years ago so I probably missed out on a lot. I couldn’t take the lefty tripe they print anymore.
Equipment like that makes the Police just as dangerous as the rest of the thugs. Frankly, too many of the Police are just hypocritical thugs who are given badges and are not to be trusted with much of anything.
When we were still talking, I warned John Derbyshire to get out of that area, but he still hangs on.
And owning a firearm might get even more interesting if the Senate has anything to say about it.
You been living on the golf course, boss–or have you been on a rtn jaunt to Bali?
And people wondered where *I* was…
Just been in the lurking mode lately vx. I’m smart enough to know not to compete with my betters commenting on serious subjects.
Doesn’t VX, or me, for that matter.:-)
I’m not sure I would take the chance of allowing 5 gang members into my house. 5 gang members against one armed man… And ruthless gang members at that. I’m not sure it would have gone very well in that case.
I just hope that along with arresting Grier the police are placing his family in protective custody. What a mess, all because a man tried to defend his home and his family.
Hmmmmm. Maybe if he converted his house into a mosque. Then the politicians would all gather around and ensure that nothing would happen to the family. Plus, the resulting fatwa against the MS-13 members would quickly eradicate THAT vermin in the neighborhood.
Of course, there is that little matter of the weekly neighborhood stonings. . . . .
I lived on Lawn Guyland.
According to the cops I knew there so many years ago: residents have a duty to flee from home invaders, and can only use force to defend themselves if flight is not possible.
Texas (Taylor County) is more to my liking. The reaction of the police is telling. A deputy was sent to check a report of a house being fired upon. The local deputy’s patrol car got peppered with shotgun pellets while he was there. He walked over to the guys with the shotguns and reminded them to be more careful… they were on private property with hunting permits– no charges filed.
Better tried by twelve than carried by six.
He is fortunate that he had to option of a firearm to defend himself.
Better yet, commended by all for brave actions in defense of the public good.
As has been famously observed many times: “When seconds count, the police are only minutes away.”
South Dakota Pest Control: Shoot, shovel, shut up. And I have it on good authority from a self-defense shooting just down the road a couple of years ago if you happen to shoot somebody in self-defense and then tend to ensuring the safety of your family and overlook that phone call to the cops and hospital, it won’t really count against you.
A man has to have his priorities, and the SOB bleeding out in your front yard after shooting into your home? Yeah, he’s pretty low on the list.
I like it that way. For you New Yorkers who wish to escape, South Dakota is full. And cold. Try Texas instead. Or Colorado.
– Max
Nova Scotia would be a better choice, given what the mental diseases those people tend to bring with them. They try to escape then want the very things that caused the conditions that ran them off.
Bastard. We’re already getting the fleeing Californians in Texas. Don’t send us the New Yorkers too. Q is right, they just bring the same foolish notions that destroyed their home states. Nice people. Dumb ideas.
It would be interesting to see when the 911 call was made, when the shot spotter triggered and when the cops actually started to the location.
And I seriously doubt the guy has a NFA license so it was most likely a semi-automatic AK-47 replica.
Thing is, if he knew he was going to get charged with a felony, it might as well be for putting down five or six gangbangers.