93 year old man down, but not out

Way to go, Willie Lee Hill. That robber got exactly what he had coming to him.

you never know how much spunk these older people have. sometimes it seems that they are not afraid of anything!

You should never underestimate old people. They will surprise you.
My SO's grandma stepped out on to her back porch one morning and was met with a man with an ice pick raised and about to strike. She backed up to the cabinet, grabbed a hammer, ran at him, grabbed his hair in the other hand, and began beating him with the hammer, kicked him in his privates a couple times, and chased him as he was crawling away, kicking him and swinging the hammer at him. He finally was able to get away from her and ran away.
The police came and there was a path of hair and blood across the yard. All this from a 100 lb grandma.
They didn't catch him, so after that she had a little .22 pistol that she carried in the pocket of her housecoat. I still have it, it is a family heirloom.

OMG her housecoat! Thats so priceless!

Good on both of them! I love it when grandmas/pas get to kick some butt!

I notice they don't say what happens to Williams who shot the guy.

Gun laws in the USA seem so lax. Here in Canada, at least where I live, it wouldn't matter if you shot an intruder in your home, you would still be arrested and charged with murder of some sort, or attempted murder.

If someone comes into your house with malicious intent, you are allowed to shoot, stab, whatever in self-defense.

I am anti-violence whenever possible. If someone breaks into my home with the intent to harm me, I like knowing I can defend myself in whatever way will get the job done. I don't want to worry about a lawsuit or jail time later.

Of course we have rights! To think othewise is absurd.

The Canadian Criminal Code does include the right of citizens to use deadly force to protect themselves. However, the key provision in the criminal code is that no one may use "more force than is necessary" and then only when "he believes on reasonable grounds that he can not otherwise preserve himself from death or grievous bodily harm."

The person must show that, "he declined further conflict and quitted or retreated from it (the assault) as far as it was feasible to do so before the necessity of preserving himself ... arose."

The right to use physical force to defend non family members, to repulse tresspassers on your property, or to stop the commission of a serious or violent crime is more limited than it is in the US.

A wide range of self defensive weapons (e.g., Mace, pepper spray, small handguns, tasers and stun guns) are prohibited and ownership is punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment. It has been impossible to own a handgun for self protection since 1977.

Recent firearms legislation now requires firearms to not only be unloaded when stored in your home but must also be put under lock and key.

Many who use a firearm to defend themselves, are charged with one or more criminal violations: unsafe storage, careless use of firearm, or possession of a prohibited weapon, and then they have to prove in court that the firearm had been used in self defense.

Anyone who uses a weapon in self defense is likely to be charged in Canada and have to defend themselves in court, even if the attacker is not injured seriously. The charges may be "possession of a prohibited weapon," or "careless use/storage of a firearm," rather than "assault" or "attempted murder."

http://www.self-defender.net/law5.htm
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So in this case, Natalie_ca, this man would be okay as far as Canadian law goes? I think he "believes on reasonable grounds that he can not otherwise preserve himself from death or grievous bodily harm." The poor guy was beaten.

That doesn't necessarily mean anything.

It's up to the courts to decide if in fact it was reasonable force given the situation and perhaps the man's advanced age. It's not his decision to make really. He can believe whatever he wants at the time of the incident, whether that holds up in a court of law is another thing.

However, having worked for a criminal defense lawyer, I would imagine that the man's advanced age and probably frail body if he is like most 93 year old people,would be taken into account and the ruling probably found in his favour so far as the "murder" or "attempted murder" charge would go. However, he would still face weapons charges and there would be no explaining that away.

It would be up to the police to determine if the he used unreasonable force and whether or not to have him charged. I guess the DA would have a say as well. That said, I doubt the police would charge this man with anything. He was beaten unconscious and the robber came after him again after seeing the gun. IMO, the amount of force that he used to defend himself was justified. If it would happen to go court on whether or not the force that he used was reasonable or unreasonable then a jury would have to be convinced of his guilt. It would be rare to find a jury in this country that wouldn't side with the old man.

But you CAN defend yourself, you just have to limit yourself. No overkill, you know?

I live in Canada and grew up in Toronto. I feel much safer living here without a gun than I would living in the States with a gun. Give an inch some will take a foot..MANY will take a foot...or MORE
I am not anti gun, but the reality is that statistically there are far more unnecessary deaths and injuries due to accessibility to guns in the states than in Canada. I visit New Orleans regularily and am always watching my back. I'm no fresh meat tourist either. I have friends there and am street smart but I've never felt such a need to be on the defensive in Toronto...not even in the seediest areas. Apart from this I would still live in the states....but I would definately get me a gun!

I totally agree.

I went to visit a friend in Detroit (outside actually, not inner city), and he's big on guns. He has 3 or 4 hand guns! All loaded! He slept with one under his pillow, had another in his nightstand, and one in the living room hidden on a shelf near his computer. I'm not sure, but I think he also had one on the floor beside his bed.

It seems that everyone in the USA are so paranoid of violence that some arm themselves to the hilt to feel safe. I can't imagine living like that. I'd never have a loaded gun in my home. Never!

I was more afraid being in his home with 4 loaded guns than I am walking around my city alone in the middle of the night.

Ditto. I spent most of my youth years hanging out in the downtown Toronto core and I have to say I never felt threatened or any fear being on the streets after club closing hours and hanging out with friends.

The few times I have been to the US, I must say I am not comfortable. Too many people have guns and unfortunately IMO a good number of them don't know how to safely use them.

I applaud the old fellow and I'm pretty sure the courts here in Canada would be totally sympathetic to him, but they have the laws for a reason and that is to ensure people don't just take the law into their own hands which I totally agree with.

This doesn't fall into the category of someone taking the law into their own hands, though. This an act of self defense, not the act of a vigilante.

I want to visit Canada someday

Here in Portland, I feel safe for the most part. Not as safe as I did 20 years ago but it doesn't bother me too much.

Since Canada has strict gun control, you probably don't have to worry about drive-by shootings, right? That just happened again here in Oregon they are calling it a case of road rage.

Not a lot of drive-by shootings, no.

Canada may well have even stricter gun laws in the near future. Unfortunately most gun-related crime in Canada has come from handguns brought in illegally from the US. The authorities are making an effort to crack down on that as well.

In Winnipeg we've had drive by shootings, but they have all been gang related activity and didn't involve non gang members.

I wouldn't want to sneak up on Grandma!! "Grandma, it's me! Your grand-daughter! Wait! It's me! Remember!!" At least that could possibly be my situation!!

I am thankful for my dog too. I do sometimes worry (and would more if I lived in the city) about him getting hurt if we had an intruder, you know, if they have a gun on them.

I would think that they would encourage the pepper spray and such. They are less life threatening and still can protect you. I believe it is what we are told to keep on us, since most people really don't want to carry a gun. That is illegal, I believe, to have a concealed weapon.

Even if the attacker is not injured seriously!?! Well, if that is the case and I am going to get in trouble if he has a busted jaw or is more seriously hurt, I might try to go ahead and do the latter just to stop him!

There are too many unnecssary deaths here. Especially in children that aren't taught better than to play with their parents' guns. I just heard about another one last week.

The vast majority of drive by shootings in the U.S. are the result of gang or drug related activity. I don't care how restrictive new or existing gun laws are, the criminals will always be able acquire them off of the street.

I'll take living in Canada and our gun control laws over this any day:


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/...n3092098.shtml

Article Two

Article Three


The fact that anyone can get their hands on guns leads to that.