Don't Bring a BB Gun to a Gunfight

He apparently thought he could intimidate people with a realistic-looking BB gun. Teen pulls a BB gun during a road rage incident and it ended in a fatal mistake with hard lessons we should learn from - NewsBreak

Even the cops treated it like a real rifle at first. It wasn't until much later they determined it was not a firearm.

What started as a late-night case of road rage in Juneau, Alaska, ended in tragedy when a 16-year-old armed with a BB gun was fatally shot. According to Nolin Ainsworth of Alaska’s News Source, the teenager was driving a 2019 Volkswagen Jetta and began following a 24-year-old man driving a 2001 GMC Jimmy. The two circled a roundabout before stopping to confront each other.

At that point the teen pointed the realistic-looking BB gun at the other driver.

Believing his life to be in immediate danger, the 24-year-old pulled out a pistol and fired, killing the teen at the scene.

How would you react if someone pointed a rifle at you?

This took place in Juneau, Alaska.

The tragedy highlights an unfortunate reality – fake guns can get you killed. As Ed Combs and Kevin Michalowski of the U.S. Concealed Carry Association (USCCA) pointed out in their analysis of the case, the reasonable-person standard in self-defense law is there for situations like this.

“If you are a responsibly armed citizen and someone pulls out what reasonably appears to be a firearm, you are compelled to take action to save your own life,” Michalowski explained.

The shooter was released, because self-defense is a human right.

He Kept Trying to Break Into Different Places

Then he found an armed homeowner. Man shot and killed following attempted break-ins near Wasilla - Anchorage Daily News

Multiple callers reported Hampton “attempting to enter vehicles and buildings on their properties prior to him being shot,” troopers spokesman Tim DeSpain said in an email Tuesday. Troopers responded to those calls but Hampton fled before they could contact him, DeSpain said.

At the last place he tried to break in, he was shot.

Asked if Hampton was shot by a homeowner during an active break-in, DeSpain said the circumstances of the shooting are part of the ongoing investigation and everyone involved is cooperating.

The DA is still considering the incident.

Growing Alaskan Region Asks Residents to Be Armed

A refreshing change. Mat-Su assembly resolution urges residents to arm themselves - Anchorage Daily News

Whereas residents of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough can provide for the emergency management of the borough, and provide for and protect the safety, security and general welfare of the borough … every eligible resident residing in the borough is encouraged to maintain a firearm, and ammunition thereof,

Matanuska-Susitna, or Mat-Su, is in south-central Alaska, just north of Anchorage. While Anchorage has been losing population, Mat-Su has been growing.

The resolution, which also asks firearm owners to learn about safe weapon use and maintenance, does not define who is an eligible resident. It does not create any enforceable laws.

Bernier, whose district covers Susitna Valley communities including Willow and Trapper Creek, said he sponsored the language as a way to encourage residents to protect themselves.

The resolution passed the Borough board unanimously. (Hat tip to Keep and Bear Arms)

Alaska Is a Bad Place for Bad Guys

Houston is a town in Alaska in this case. Suspected burglar shot and wounded by Mat-Su homeowner, troopers say

The Matanuska-Susitna Valley, or Mat-Su, is an area in south-central Alaska.

A 30-year-old man was shot Wednesday night while stealing items from a home in Houston, Alaska State Troopers said.

This is the second time within a week that a burglary escalated into a shooting in Mat-Su. A 22-year-old man died the morning of Dec. 17 when a woman in a home near Wasilla's airport shot him after he broke into the home and attacked her husband, troopers said.

When he was discovered rummaging in the garage, he was confronted by the homeowner, and tried to use a lamp as a blunt-force weapon. He was shot twice.

Troopers were called to the home around 7:30 p.m. and provided first aid to Johnson, who was transported to the hospital for injuries described as not life-threatening, they said.

Self-defense is a human-right.

How Would You Respond to an Armed, Uninvited Guest?

And you should not break into homes. Home Invasion Suspect Shot and Killed in Wasilla Home Sunday - Alaska Native News

An investigation was initiated and found that the homeowners, husband and wife, discovered the suspect in their home on Sunday morning. The husband and Martinez got into an altercation and Martinez stabbed the homeowner in the arm. The wife retrieved a firearm and discharged it once in the defense of her husband.

He died at the scene.

Cops see it as a case of self-defense, which is a human-right.

How Do You Celebrate the 4th Without Fireworks?

The Other McCain has the skinny on An Alaska Fourth of July Tradition

“What do you mean, no fireworks?”

It was then explained to me that, because it never gets fully dark in Alaska during the Midnight Sun season, a fireworks display is impractical. What do Alaskans do for the Fourth of July?

Well they launch old cars of a cliff of course! (Sounds perfectly reasonable to me.)

Click thru for details and a great photo and a video.

You Can Defend Others

People need to learn conflict resolution that doesn't involve violence. Palmer Woman Shot in Face, Escapes, Assailant Shot in Leg in Self Defense by Third Person Wednesday Evening - Alaska Native News

At 6:37 pm on Wednesday evening, troopers received a 911 call from a woman on East Pace Drive who reported that she had just left a residence at that location after being shot in the face with a pistol by 59-year-old Juan Casiano and that a violent armed altercation was ongoing at that residence.

The guy who shot the woman in the face was in turn shot in the leg. That shot into his leg was to stop him from shooting the woman. That second shooting was determined to be in self-defense.

The woman and the man were taken to a local hospital. The man was then taken to the local lockup to await whatever the legal system has in store for him.

Casiano was arrested on charges of Assault I, two counts of Assault III, Assault IV, and Misconduct Involving Weapons II and IV.

There is no word on the condition of the woman.

Self-defense is a human-right.

Self-defense in North Pole, Alaska

I'm guessing folks in North Pole, Alaska are pretty well armed. Intruder shot by North Pole homeowner; man recovers in hospital, troopers say.

How would you deal with an intruder at 3 o'clock in the morning?

OK, I'm geographically challenged enough that I had to look it up. North Pole is about 250 miles nor'-nor'-east of Anchorage, or 371 miles by car. It looks to be fairly remote, though I'm sure there are folks in Alaska who would dispute that.

Alaska State Troopers in Fairbanks were notified about the alleged home intrusion at 3:25 a.m. that day, according to an online dispatch.

Upon arriving at the home, troopers learned the intruder had been shot and was still alive. The homeowner did not report any injuries.

The guy who got shot was taken to a hospital and then airlifted to Anchorage. He is expected to survive. Charges are pending, while the doctors get him back on his feet.

Self-defense is a human-right. Good Guys 1, Bad Guys 0.

Don't Bring an Ax to a Gunfight

Is it me, or are the stories getting weirder? Man shot after breaking into Wasilla home with ax and threatening to kill resident, troopers say - Anchorage Daily News

A 66-year-old man was shot and injured after he entered a Wasilla woman’s house by force with an ax and threatened to kill her Friday night, Alaska State Troopers said.

He underwent surgery for "non-life-threatening" injuries. He is lucky she didn't shoot him in the head.

The homeowner is not facing charges. The guy who got shot is probably looking at a few charges including assault.

So how would the gun-hating Left have wanted this woman to defend herself from a literal ax-wielding maniac if not with a firearm?

In the meantime, self-defense is a human-right.