One of the false narratives we hear over and over again from gun-control proponents on the left is that good guys with guns do not stop bad guys with guns, and we therefore need to ban “assault weapons.” I put that phrase in quotes because radical progressives don’t have a very specific definition of what constitutes such a class of firearm. That’s because the looser the parameters for what can be considered an assault weapon, the more guns they can fit into the category.
Good guys can’t stop bad guys with guns in every situation. This is especially true when laws exist that prevent them from carrying weapons that could potentially neutralize evil men and women carrying out acts of mass murder.
But guess what? Sometimes, in places where the morally upright and righteous have weapons at their disposal, they often do stop wicked people in their tracks. Such is the case for a homeowner in the state of Pennsylvania.
According to TheBlaze, Jeremy Cox was willing and ready to exercise his Second Amendment right to bear arms in defense of life, liberty, and property when an individual decided to break into his home, putting his whole family in danger.
And while Cox would have been totally justified in filling the intruder with a lead salad, he exercised restraint instead, extending mercy and grace to the bad guy. Kind of flies in the face of the narrative that all proponents of the Second Amendment are trigger-happy domestic terrorists just itching for a reason to shed some blood, doesn’t it?
Last Wednesday, Cox and his girlfriend were chilling out, enjoying a quiet evening at home with a pizza and a flick, when they heard sounds coming from the basement. And that is when the proverbial number two hit the fan.
When the couple got up and investigated the source of the noise, they witnessed a man, who was later identified as Nathan Harvey, 43, attempting to break into the house through the basement. Cox took immediate action, retrieving his .40 caliber handgun while his significant other dialed the police.
Here’s more from TheBlaze:
As they waited for police, Cox told WTAE-TV the intruder initially complied with his commands not to move. But he soon became aggressive, Cox said — and that’s when he fired a warning shot.
Unfortunately, the warning shot “didn’t scare” the intruder, who continued to move toward the homeowner, Cox said. Cox then made the split-second decision to fire a second shot — this time grazing Harvey’s abdomen.
Cox chose to wound Harvey after noticing he was intoxicated. The alcohol-induced bad decision-making meant Harvey tried to get up after being shot, Cox alleged, which prompted Cox to threaten to shoot again. Cox recounted that he told Harvey “he wouldn’t be alive” after the third shot. But fortunately, that’s when police arrived.
“If they would have been two minutes later, we’d be having a different conversation, I think,” Cox said during an interview with KDKA-TV.
“I didn’t want to kill him,” he went on to say, showcasing the reality that not all gun owners are bloodthirsty killers like the mainstream media wants you to believe. “I didn’t want to have to take another human being’s life.”
Related: Concealed Carry Hero Holds Onto His 6-Pack While Taking Down Armed Robber
However, don’t mistake Cox’s mercy for weakness, folks. He made it clear during his chat with reporters that he was totally willing to put Harvey down for good if he were forced to stand his ground. Cox hopes that Harvey realizes he’s been given a second chance at life and uses it to better himself.
“Everyone’s going through hard times. And I pictured him going through a hard time in his life, and I just, given his condition, I didn’t want to take his life and then deal with that type of regret, that maybe he was struggling and he had kids and I have kids, and all of those things are just going through my brain while that was happening and now after it’s happening,” Cox said to reporters from KDKA.
“Get help,” he continued. “You’re not alone. Life — it’s a gift, and you were just given a second chance, in my opinion. So use it wisely.”
After getting slapped in cuffs, Harvey was taken to a nearby hospital where he received treatment for his minor wounds. As it turns out, the intruder already had an outstanding warrant for his arrest issued by the Butler County Sheriff’s Office. Now he’ll be looking at additional charges of felony burglary.
Let’s hope Harvey learned his lesson, though, the pessimist in me — or is it the realist? — looks at the pattern of criminal behavior Harvey has been involved in and thinks he’s probably not going to change. I would love to be proved wrong in this case.
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