All too often, the mainstream media and political leaders spread propaganda that paints gun owners as wild-eyed extremists.
But nothing could be further from the truth.
Those who exercise their Second Amendment right to self-defense are ordinary folks, laborers and teachers and parents who just want to be free to live their lives without the fear of being unprepared.
Yet another great example of this drive came from Beaumont, Texas. It was early Friday morning on the north end of town when police officers received a call warning of a burglary in progress. According to a press release from the Beaumont Police Department, the homeowner discovered an intruder entering his residence just after midnight.
As police rushed to the scene, dispatch told responding officers that the homeowner had shot the suspect who had by then entered the home.
On arrival, officers discovered 43-year-old Jason Omar Cruz of Beaumont bleeding on the bathroom floor. They quickly applied a tourniquet that resulted in Cruz surviving the violent encounter he allegedly initiated. Authorities report he is now recovering at a local hospital.
Being Texas, any doubt as to who was responsible for the shooting early Friday morning quickly dissipated.
Beaumont PD’s Public Affairs Officer Haley Morrow clarified that even though the homeowner was the one who fired the shot, “they are still the victim. The suspect is the one who broke the law and committed a crime and as a result, he was shot.”
A neighbor’s security camera captured the scene as police officers rushed to the scene. The resident, Doug Taylor, said afterwards that “we have such friendly nice people in this area, and so, this must have been an intrusion as they say, because we are just so settled and quiet here.”
Criminal defense lawyer Ryan Gertz told 12News that Texas law is clear.
“Some states refer to them as the castle doctrine, or stand your ground doctrines,” Gertz explained. “In Texas, we call it self-defense, defense of others, and defense of property, those are the three justifications.”
After Cruz was transported by ambulance to the hospital, police obtained a warrant for burglary of a habitation. Authorities said he is still recovering from being shot, but once he’s ready he will be moved to the Jefferson County Jail. Beaumont PD reported his bond was set at $100,000.
The ranks of those who disparage the Second Amendment are growing, even as those who defend it are also increasing in number. Sadly, battle lines are being drawn across the nation for legal skirmishes that will address what should already be settled doctrine.
The Bill of Rights — all of it — has stood as the bedrock of American democracy for well over two centuries. This minor issue or that finer point may be argued, but no reasonable person believes that law-abiding U.S. citizens are not entitled to freedom of speech, of religion, and of so many other basic liberties.
Standing tall among them is the inalienable right to keep and bear arms. This long-standing birthright is part of the foundation of the nation, the underpinning that solidifies all other freedoms we as Americans enjoy.
American jurists as recently as last year with the landmark Bruen Supreme Court decision have established the Second Amendment as fundamental to our legal system.
And those who argue against it do not have a solid leg to stand on. As in the Beaumont case and countless others, it is essential to our way of life that the freedom to protect our own is respected and cherished. This is part of who we are as Americans, as human beings, and it is not negotiable.
