Tony Quach and his family endured a horrifying ordeal when home invaders held them hostage in their Burrows Street home, while robbing them of most of their belongings. His father was struck by a screwdriver — thankfully the only weapon the two or three male suspects brandished — so no one was seriously injured. “It was scary … and it’s still scary,” Quach, 11, said of the 90-minute long attack. Of course it was. Violent home invasions are among the most traumatic crimes committed these days. And Winnipeg has seen its fair share already this year. While it’s not the plague auto theft is, it’s still alarming to see thugs violently barging into homes — most times armed with guns. Like in April when one person was shot and two beaten with a bat at an Alexander Avenue home. Then one month later when four men, armed with a gun, stormed a home in northwest Winnipeg, forced the occupants into a bathroom and stole items before fleeing. Law-abiding citizens are getting fed up seeing people’s homes no longer offering the safety and sanctity they once did. This latest home invasion has revived the debate as to whether homeowners should keep firearms in their homes to defend themselves. Let all Canadians legally use weapons for self-defence, many are championing. If we all carry a piece, home invasions will end. This Winnipeg Sun online reader has already made up his or her mind, citing as an example the state of Texas. “We should have the right to arm ourselves. All we get is talk from the govt. All the police are good for is showing up after the fact and writing reports. Someone I know who winters in Texas says he feels safer there than here. In Texas you have the right to shoot intruders. They have virtually no home invasions and people are very polite to one another.” Shots fired across our living rooms aren’t the answer to this criminal activity. If violent thugs invade your home, is it worth the risk to fight violence with violence? Can you possibly emerge the winner against violent criminals in a gun battle in your kitchen or living room? The answer to these questions is no. Protecting your home and family is paramount and every family should have a self-defence plan in place in their home. The plan doesn’t need to include a gun because there are plenty of non-lethal weapons out there that can scare away or distract bad guys long enough to call police. Relaxing our gun laws will do nothing more than put more of them in the hands of criminals. Like it or not the best way to apprehend criminals is still to let the police catch them.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment