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124gr9mm

Media coverage of gun use in self/home defense

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Even in situations where it seems pretty cut and dry, there are media outlets that look to shift question/blame on gun owners when defending themselves.

Case in point is an article that was printed yesterday regarding the death last year of an NBA player. 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2709769-the-night-that-cost-bryce-dejean-jones-his-life-and-nba-dream

The 6' 6" 200+ pound player wanted to get into an apartment (he thought it was his girlfriend's) and "proceeded to kick and punch the metal front door, repeatedly and with such force that he broke through a pair of deadbolts. Once inside, he tried opening the bedroom door, only to find that it too was locked", so he started to breaking through that one as well.  The occupant, a 22-year-old teacher, removed his gun from a nearby dresser and shot through the door.

Tragic event all around, and the very long article seems to set the player up as some kind of misunderstood guy.  I'm fine with that and I hate that someone had to die, but in the middle of the article the writer kind of turns things around:

"It might have been a second, or a millisecond, or a milli of a millisecond.

Even were it the absolute slightest measure of time, that teacher had an opportunity to put the gun aside.

To take a deep breath.

To wait.

To gather himself.

Wasn’t that exactly what he had learned as the son and younger brother of United States Marines? Yes, a gun can be used for self-defense, but know what you’re doing. In college, he was a member of the school’s pistol club, where the stated objective was to teach “basic handgun safety and marksmanship skills in a safe, friendly and convenient environment.”

A safe, friendly and convenient environment.

Here, inside his bedroom, was as safe and friendly and convenient an environment as he knew."

 

The guy was startled awake in the middle of the night by someone (or multiple people) breaking down his front steel door.  He then hears the same person/people making the attempt to get into his room.  He calls out but there's no response, so he fires.

IMO he waited more than a milisecond.  Had he waited longer and the intruder been armed it could have been too late.


Maybe I'm reading too much into it but seems like an awkward transition in the article.

 

 

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Personally, I don't think you're reading too much into it at all! This meshes with the tendency to "bury" defensive gun use stories entirely. They rarely make it to major newspapers or networks. And in a case like this, where it's someone "famous" and the story simply can't be buried, so-called "journalists" do the next best thing - cast shade on the person who defended themselves (from the safety of their keyboard when they can't possibly even imagine the duress the person was under)..

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Don't drink and smoke dope if you can't handle it.  That's the moral to the story AFAIC.

The guy broke down one door and from the story found himself in an empty room.  He was so drunk (like .18) mixed with the effects of marijuana he didn't realize it wasn't his girlfriend's apartment.  He then proceeded knock down the second door.

Just about all of us have gotten drunk celebrating something.  But not so drunk we didn't realize where we were.

Something like this would have happened to this guy eventually with his alcohol and drug problem.  The article fails to speculate on that.  They want to get more mileage from "this young man with a promising future" than discuss his alcohol and drug problem.

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You are definitely not reading too much into it, as the others have pointed out, don't lose control of yourself to the point that you made stupid choices and do stupid things.  

Was this a tragedy, absolutely.  But, being wasted and banging on doors then breaking in to a locked apartment is just plain asking for trouble.  This is what happens when you combine drugs, alcohol and a feeling of entitlement that comes from being an elite athlete and having things given to you your entire life. 

I am not an expert in any way shape or form, but from what the experts I know have told me a millisecond of second guessing is more than enough time to get yourself killed.  Look at this from the teacher's perspective, a loud, large, incoherent person has already broken down a locked and bolted main door and is now trying to break down your bedroom door.  How would anyone expect a rational human being to behave. Yes, hindsight shows that he thought it was his girlfriend's apartment, but all the teacher know was that a big man was breaking into his apartment.

Journalists need to sell stories and or support an agenda that sells stories, they no longer worry about factual, unbiased reporting.

 

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No the article's author is a shithead. There's no reading too much into it. 

Some dude broke down a reinforced door to gain entry. It's a big dude capable of exerting lethal force unarmed, and in all likelihood significantly bigger and stronger than the occupant of the residence. Also stupid enough, sdrunk enough, or malicious enough to not notice they are in the wrong place. 

BEYOND that if this WAS his girlfriends apartment, and he did the exact same thing, I think SHE would be justified in shooting his ass too. That behavior isn't universal sign language for "hey baby, I could use a hug."

The occupant took more than seconds to make a decision. They made the decision to stand their ground in their bedroom rather than inside their front door. They gave the asshole free run of the place except for behind locked door number two. The drunk asshole didn't get the message at locked door number two. What more could have happened? Drunk asshole would get a clue suddenly somewhere between the door and the bed? The occupant would have recognized him and been pleased to get an NBA official autographed ass kicking, possibly fatal? 

 

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Another thing I can't understand is why the article was created at all.


This happened last year and was essentially open and shut.  THere were no smoking guns and no new evidence.

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44 minutes ago, 124gr9mm said:

Another thing I can't understand is why the article was created at all.


This happened last year and was essentially open and shut.  THere were no smoking guns and no new evidence.

Probably because the MSM needed to stir up debate again and in an anti way. 

DGU's that are "clean" are almost never reported by the national MSM. You might see a local TV report on the night of the incident, but that's all. That is, unless there is some minor flaw in the incident  (e.g. the shooter committed some minor faux-pas) that they can hone in on to spin it in an anti way. 

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54 minutes ago, 124gr9mm said:

Another thing I can't understand is why the article was created at all.


This happened last year and was essentially open and shut.  THere were no smoking guns and no new evidence.

The one-year anniversary was probably the justification used during the pitch meeting, but this is really anti-gun sentiment masquerading as a sports piece. Check out the author's website: http://www.jeffpearlman.com/guns-and-courage-and-cowardice/

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53 minutes ago, Cereza said:

The one-year anniversary was probably the justification used during the pitch meeting, but this is really anti-gun sentiment masquerading as a sports piece. Check out the author's website: http://www.jeffpearlman.com/guns-and-courage-and-cowardice/

Again, Cereza... I award you a blue ribbon for your Most Excellent Internet Sleuthing, LOL.

Yeah, that 2nd article really puts it ALL in perspective, doesn't it? No wonder the ball player - the actual bad guy in this scenario - who was often out of control, abusing alcohol and drugs, previously breaking someone's jaw in a fit of rage, and who had a "tempestuous relationship" with his baby momma (that's NBA code for "domestic violence", natch) could be painted as such a poor sad VICTIM.

I mean, how out of control was this guy that his own friends didn't "trust" him to visit his girlfriend and child in another city for fear he'd get into trouble?  Here's an example: pretty much everyone who knows my ex- thinks he deserves to be capped in the ass - yet I assure you, not one of them has EVER feared that I might actually do it! That's because I'm an adult with self-control. This young man was impulsive... and explosive... and violent. Repeatedly! Like an angry child, but in a dangerously powerful frame. His demise, in light of everything that preceded it, was almost predictable.

I can't help but wonder why that first article is "closed" to comments too? That was strategic, I presume. God forbid, when you're an activist on a mission, you don't want those pesky ordinary Joes and Janes raining down common sense on your manifesto!

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So if this were to occur in PRNJ, would the shooter be screwed because he was "safe" behind a locked door and because he shot through the door, not identifying the threat and did not wait for the threat to actually enter his "secured" (locked) room?

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29 minutes ago, leahcim said:

So if this were to occur in PRNJ, would the shooter be screwed because he was "safe" behind a locked door and because he shot through the door, not identifying the threat and did not wait for the threat to actually enter his "secured" (locked) room?

I don't think so.

The bad guy had already broken through one door.  If the victim hadn't had his bedroom door locked no doubt the BG would have been on top of him before he could do anything.  That locked bedroom door is the only reason the victim wasn't brutally beaten.  The victim didnt know if it was one BG or several. He made his presence known to whoever broke down his front door. How did the intruder(s) respond?  By starting to break down the bedroom door.  That door was most likely not as durable as the entrance door.   Shooting through a door is generally not a good idea.  I can't say the guy was totally wrong here. The fact that one door was already broken down and the BG was in the process of breaking down an interior door has a lot of bearing here.  Where was the teacher supposed to retreat to?  He was on the 3rd floor.  He was reasonably in fear of his life or serious bodily harm AFAIC.

I can't see a prosecutor in NJ trying to pursue this.

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I would hope so.  State v Martinez affirmed the right to "meet the assailant at the threshold of the home and prevent him from entering by any means, including deadly force." And this guy was way beyond the threshold.  But Martinez decision is almost 30 years old.  And I can imagine an anti-gun prosecutor trying to make a name and pursuing this.

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Had he broken down my door I've had met him and stared him down with an equally steely gaze-thus diffusing the situation.  

 

Ok I can't keep a straight face with that but that's what anti-gun people think in a life or death situation.  Typical that we demonize the victim--just typical. 

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20 minutes ago, Rob0115 said:

Had he broken down my door I've had met him and stared him down with an equally steely gaze-thus diffusing the situation.  

 

Ok I can't keep a straight face with that but that's what anti-gun people think in a life or death situation.  Typical that we demonize the victim--just typical. 

They would also say, call the police and let them handle it, you are not trained in these circumstances...

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Several people in the article say that he was such a "good kid."  What do you think his intentions toward his girlfriend might have been?  Was he just breaking down doors as maybe a creative way to propose?  Birthday gift? 

I wonder what would have been the result if he had got the right apartment and found his girlfriend.

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Pearlman is at it again:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2710943-tupac-glocks-and-in-n-out-a-football-teams-run-in-with-the-rapper-revealed

For a site that's supposed to be about "Sports storytelling worth your time" they're devoting a lot of space to anti-gun propaganda.

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