In an interview that’s equal parts amusing and alarming, Indiana’s Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears recently lamented an increase in self-defense shootings in Indianapolis.
Mears complained to reporters that shootings involving self-defense claims are challenging to prosecute. This “mean[s] that someone lost their life” and “that case might ultimately be cleared” without the shooter being charged, he said.
Yes, that’s how self-defense is supposed to work.
From the link in the above excerpt:
“What’s upsetting to me is, if you look at the month of January, I think we had 18 homicides during that month,” said Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears. “Fourteen of those were being investigated for self-defense, meaning that someone lost their life, and that case might ultimately be cleared. But that doesn’t do anything for that family who lost someone.”
That ratio is 14/18 or 77.7% of homicides in January being possibly self-defense. I doubt strongly they all were, but still….
A man was shot and killed in a reported family disturbance on New Year’s Day. On Jan. 3, a man allegedly wrestled a gun away from an intruder in his home, then shot and killed the man. On Jan. 5, a woman shot and killed her boyfriend who was allegedly attacking her. Several more shootings occurred that month in a violent start to 2024 where the circumstances and culpability were even less clear.
Someone died, but no one was ever charged with a crime.
Because defending your own life is understandably legal, and the person who is dead was killed committing a criminal act. Amazing how that works, isn’t it? And they won’t be recidivist!
So far most gun laws that have been passed have concentrated on disarming the law-abiding, making them defenseless in the face of aggression. In my opinion, this is a net good. Obviously not in the thinking of Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears.
The “Lie back and think of England” school of self defense.
“Fourteen of those were being investigated for self-defense, meaning that someone lost their life, and that case might ultimately be cleared. But that doesn’t do anything for that family who lost someone.”
And if it doesn’t end up that way, or at least end up with the perp going away for a long, long time, the person who otherwise would have been the shooter will never feel safe in his/her home again.
I know a couple of ladies in their 60s who were raped in their 20s. They STILL carry the scars of that event, and it still affects their behavior.
“Fourteen of those were being investigated for self-defense, meaning that someone lost their life, and that case might ultimately be cleared.”
Which is as valid a legal conclusion as a conviction, but it doesn’t serve the disarmament goal, so to him it’s unacceptable.
“But that doesn’t do anything for that family who lost someone.”
Fun fact: People who don’t grow up to assault others tend to not get shot in self-defense. Another fun fact: It’s extremely rare for murder or attempted murder to be someone’s first criminal act.
All to say, that family should have done a better job trying to rein in bad behavior before it escalated to aggravated assault or attempted rape/murder.
Those families have some sympathy from me … but not as much as the would-be victim of their criminal acts.
Ryan Mears is a democrat, which is all that people need to know.. I’m wonder if he was asked what he would do if someone went after him and his family with a gun. I’m sure self defense would be acceptable then..
Liberals in general have a very warped view of reality. Anything which makes them feel uncomfortable is “evil” in their view. They never seem to have the necessary intelligence or insight to see that if all was as they wish the world would be a hellscape.
It is ‘obvious’ his view of reality and ours is ‘significantly’ different!