Thanks to Kim du Toit, I now know what happened in the case of Ronald Dixon, the Navy vet who shot an intruder in his home. Dixon discovered the intruder in his son’s bedroom. Said intruder had a LONG criminal record.
Dixon was charged for using an unlicensed handgun to defend himself and his family. This was, after all, New York City – where they consider deporting resident aliens who shoot robbers because said alien used an unlicensed handgun while defending his life.
Of course, if you WANT a permit in NYC, it costs a minimum of $329 and takes a minimum of six months to get – unless, of course, you’re politically connected or a celebrity (but I repeat myself.)
In Mr. Dixon’s case, enough people raised enough stink that the prosecutor found it necessary to reduce (but not drop) the charges to “disorderly conduct.” Dixon will, unfortunately, serve three days, but the conviction will not show up on his record. So, supposedly he could still qualify for a permit. But seeing that the number of permits in NYC has been declining, and given the difficulty and expense involved in getting one (especially since Mr. Dixon currently works two jobs) I don’t see how he’s going to have the time.
Now, how about we raise a stink and get Sr. Acosta’s charges reduced to “disorderly conduct.”
And let’s see if we can get some NYC District Attorneys out of office next year.
One other thing: The NY Post editorial called Acosta and others who recently defended themselves in NYC “vigilantes.” Note to NY Post: Use a dictionary. A vigilante is defined as “a member of a volunteer committee organized to suppress and punish crime summarily.” What these guys did was self-defense. Let me see if I can clarify the difference. A vigilante is someone like, oh, say Barbara Lipscomb, (AKA Barbara Graham) who shot a young man who she thought was responsible for the death of her son. He wasn’t. But even if he had been, that would have been the act of a vigilante, as per the dictionary definition. But shooting someone who is directly threatening your life and property? That’s called self-defense – not “vilgilantism.”
Oh, and Mrs. Graham/Lipscomb/Martin? She was one of the organizers of the original Million Mom March. And she was supported during her trial by Bernadette Trowell, the President of the MMM organization.
Odd, that.