An Interesting Ruling on Self-Defense and Job Termination

From The National Law Review we get the following: Colorado Supreme Court Decision on Wrongful Termination Claims

The SCOTUS ruling about Hawaii's so-called Vampire Law has drowned this out of the news, or I didn't see much about it. A very interesting ruling was handed down by the Colorado State Supreme Court on June 15th about wrongful termination suits.

The TL;DR version is as follows.

• The Colorado Supreme Court ruled that employees may bring wrongful termination claims if fired for acting in self-defense, even if their lawful exercise of the right to self-defense violates employer policies prohibiting confrontations.
• The court identified a public-policy exception to at-will employment, emphasizing that termination cannot penalize employees for exercising their statutory and constitutional right of self-defense.
• The decision highlights potential wrongful termination liability for employers if they discharge employees for lawful actions taken in self-defense in the workplace.

This is interesting because every large pizza chain forbids its delivery drivers to be armed. Uber and Lyft have similar rules for their drivers, though they are not, strictly speaking, employees. I assume that places like GurbHub and DoorDash have a similar rule. I am guessing that a lot of restaurant and gas station chains have similar laws.

Anyone with a violent stalker needs to be armed in their own defense. But the places where they are disarmed is exactly those places where they are on a known schedule at a known location. To and from work. Picking up and dropping off kids at school and/or daycare. Going to church.

It should be interesting to see how this plays out in Colorado, and to see if this idea gets transfered to other states. (Hat tip to Keep and Bear Arms)

How Should a Woman Defend Herself?

If not with a firearm, how should she defend herself? Home invasion thwarted by armed homeowner - AOL

A man is accused of breaking into a woman’s house, only for her to confront the intruder with a gun, leading him out of the home. He was later arrested.

Given how this started, I think she should have shot him. Maybe more than once.

The suspect, Sergio Ruiz, 21, and the victim’s first interaction seemed innocuous as he texted her wanting eggs, as she had a sign outside saying she was selling them. However, the messages reportedly escalated into sexual and vulgar comments.

Although she blocked his number, Ruiz allegedly started texting her from a different one.

This doesn't sound like a guy who can take a hint.

Mesa County, Colorado, is on the state line with Utah, roughly 130 miles west of Denver.

Cops eventually located and arrested this guy, after he left.

Ruiz was booked in the Mesa County Detention Facility for stalking, second-degree home burglary and attempted non-consensual sexual assault. He was given a $100,000 bond, which the sheriff’s office stated, “has gone untouched.”

So I would like the gun-hating part of the Left (it isn't all of the Left, though it often seems that way) to explain exactly what this woman should have done, without a firearm? I am not expecting them to explain.

Self-defense is a human right.

You Are Only An Apex Predator, When Armed

From The New York Times: Hiker Killed in Suspected Mountain Lion Attack, Colorado’s First in Decades

Hikers found a woman’s body on a trail on Crosier Mountain in Northern Colorado, with a mountain lion nearby, according to a statement on Thursday from Colorado Parks and Wildlife, which is investigating the death. The hikers scared off the animal by throwing rocks, before confirming the woman was dead.

Of course even if you're armed, you might be killed by a mountain lion. They are ambush predators. Still, being armed would give you a better chance of survival.

Mountain lions, though elusive and solitary, are widespread in the American West, where they are known to prey on pets and livestock. Still, attacks on humans — especially fatal ones — are incredibly rare.

There is also mention of a fatal attack in California in 2024, so I suppose that was the last recorded fatal, mountain-lion attack.

I am not saying that you should not get out and enjoy nature. I am saying you should be aware of the risks. Life is full of risks. You might slip in the shower. You might meet a drunk driver coming home from the grocery store. You might be attacked by a mountain lion if you run in the mountains. None of these things would be your fault, or are under you control. You could stop bathing. You could never leave your home. That is not living.

An Open Door Is Not an Invitation

He was homeless, so of course he was looking for open doors. Man shot in the leg after entering Pueblo home, police say

[Pueblo Police Dept.] said detectives interviewed the homeowner, who reported that he arrived home and noticed that his front door was open and an unknown man was inside. The homeowner reportedly said that he then grabbed his .22 revolver from his bedroom and confirmed that his sister, who also lives at the home, did not know the man either.

Officers said the homeowner reported that he confronted the man, who had a knife in his hand. They said the homeowner reported that he shot the man in the leg and asked his sister to call 911 to report the incident.

Pueblo, Colorado is about 100 miles south of Denver.

The guy who got shot was taken to a local hospital, and then to the local jail where he was booked on a charge of second-degree burglary.

This guy is lucky he got shot in the leg with a .22 and not in the head with 9mm. That fact will be lost on him.

Self-defense is a human right, and the police in Pueblo, Colorado seem to be treating this like a legal right. Good Guys 1, Bad Guys 0.

He Had a Problem With His Neighbor

So he broke into his neighbor's home and attacked him. It didn't work out too well. One dead, one hospitalized after self-defense shooting in Greeley

Upon arrival, deputies found the reporting party, the victim of the break in, who said he had been in “a long-standing feud” with his neighbor, according to the post. During the incident, the man told police, the neighbor had kicked his door in and come into the home with an object in his hand.

During a struggle, the victim shot his attacker. That attacker was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

The victim was also taken to the hospital and remains in critical condition.

While the investigation is just beginning, it doesn't seem that this is anything but self-defense based on what they describe in the article.

Weld County, Colorado is just north of Denver, with the county line being about 15 miles are so north of downtown Denver.

Self-defense is a human right, but I'm not sure how it is viewed in Colorado. (Hat tip to Keep and Bear Arms.)

Darwin Awards Runner Up

He was told that his rental 4X4 wasn't good enough. He didn't believe them. Tourist in Kia Telluride Comes Dangerously Close to Tumbling Down Black Bear Pass, Forces Trail Closure

People have died on Black Bear Pass, well, falling off the pass. CW McCall even has a song about "Black Bear Road."

Well, we took up off'n the highway and we come upon a sign says "Black Bear Road. You don't have to be crazy to drive this road, but it helps."

The pass was closed for about a day, while a tow was arranged. Not just any tow truck will do.

It isn't exactly clear how he came to drive off the trail, since there seems to be plenty of room. (As these things go.) One of the commenters guessed that he was busy "looking at the scenery" instead of looking at the trail and paying attention to driving.

There are a couple of lessons.

• Not all 4X4s are created equal
• Not all roads are like they are where you live
• If a local gives you advice about local hazards, you should consider taking the advice.

There are probably more lessons, but that is enough to be going on with.

Illegal Alien, Who Is Muslim, Shouts "Free Palestine" While Attacking Jews - Media Dumbfounded

I'm used to the Leftist Media tying themselves in knots to support their narrative, but this is insane. The Liberal Media Is Having Itself a Night in the Wake of the Boulder Terror Attack

Unless you're living under a rock, you have heard of this attack. Oh, and add "allegedly" to everything I say about this attack.

Mohamed Soliman threw a Molotov Cocktail at a group of Jews protesting in support of Israel, he shouted Free Palestine," and the Left doesn't know what the motive could be. They are either lying, or they are complete idiots. What they aren't doing is telling the truth.

The liberal media is having itself a night in the aftermath of the terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, where an Egyptian national, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, who is in the country illegally, attacked a pro-Israel gathering near Pearl Street Mall. Six people were injured in the attack. The suspect yelled, “Free Palestine” during the assault.

The media are doing everything they can to ignore evidence. His name. Immigration documents. The fact that his work authorization expired last year. And more.

Consider this tweet/post-on-X from James Hasson:

How many euphemisms for “Jews” did NBC workshop before they landed on “Gaza hostage awareness marchers”?

“Gaza hostage awareness marchers” is in the headline from NBC. Because if they said he attacked Jews, well that might upset the narrative.

There is more, including links to other stories. Click thru.

I will leave this with you. A tweet from earlier

A couple was murdered in DC outside a Jewish museum a few weeks ago while the assailant yelled “Free Palestine”

No one took that as a sign to tone down the rhetoric or at least try to be accurate. There were no media discussions about the environment being created or stochastic terrorism.

Now we have Jews being attacked with Molotov cocktails in Colorado for participating in a walk for hostages.

This will continue to escalate.

I miss living in a civilized society.

Self-Defense in Colorado

I thought they practically outlawed that, but I guess not. Homeowner shoots burglary suspect in Aurora | 9news

How would you respond to a break in at 5 in the morning, or so?

A homeowner was notified by their home security camera of a man breaking into a detached garage, police said. The homeowner confronted the man in the garage before the shooting happened, according to police.

The guy who got shot was taken to a hospital with "life threatening" injuries.

So even in Blue Colorado, and I'm willing to bet on how Deep Blue Aurora is, self-defense is a thing.

Self-Defense Is Legal in Colorado

You can never be sure today. Charges not expected after Colorado homeowner shoots intruder - CBS Colorado

Investigators said the homeowner in Aurora shot and injured the suspect just before 5 a.m. Monday.

There was a similar break in on the 17th, so the homeowner installed security cameras and they alerted him to the presence of an intruder.

The homeowner told police that when he went to his garage, he confronted the suspect and there was an altercation that ended when the homeowner shot the suspected intruder.

The guy who got shot was in the hospital with "life-threatening" injuries.

The final decision on charges rest with the DA, but self-defense is a human right.

Self-Defense Is Legal in Colorado

Though it took the DA a little while to come to that conclusion. Aurora 7-Eleven security guard won't be charged in fatal shooting

A video released by the 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office shows 36-year-old Vernon Dorsey rushing up behind the unidentified security guard outside the Aurora 7-Eleven, holding a gun to his head and pushing him up against the wall.

The security footage has no sound, but Dorsey demanded the security guard’s gun and threatened to kill him, according to a news release from the district attorney’s office.

Despite the video, it took the DA from the end of August until last week to make a determination of self-defense. That is because DAs, in general, hate self-defense. You must rely on the state, even for things it cannot provide.

Aurora, Colorado is a suburb of Denver.

However long it took, the DA has decided that he can't prosecute a clear-cut case of self-defense.

The Media and the Democrats Have Been Lying to You about Violent Gangs

From The Post Millennial we get the following. City councilwoman reveals Venezuelan gang problem was well-known in Aurora, CO ahead of media attention

Aurora City Councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky has revealed that the Colorado city knew of the Venezuelan gang problem plaguing apartment complexes. The gang, Tren de Aragua (TdA), took over multiple apartment complexes and made headlines over the summer when video of suspected gang members wandering through housing units armed with rifles went viral.

Jurinsky posted an internal city email dated November 16, 2023, in which Aurora police discussed how an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent told them that TdA "decided to make Denver their headquarters due to sanctuary policies and location." A gang unit officer wrote to Chris Poppe, the police commander of District 3 of Aurora, Colorado about a "TdA bulletin" that was going to be sent out to the entire Aurora Police Department.

Aurora, Colorado is suburban Denver. It is about 10 miles east of downtown Denver.

So for nearly a year, the Democrats and the media (but I repeat myself) knew there was a problem in Aurora, CO and they didn't say anything.

I can't even pretend to be shocked.

CU Boulder Students Don't Like Self-defense

But then they have been indoctrinated by Leftists for more than a decade. CU Boulder students call for ban on campus concealed carry

The University of Colorado allows people to conceal and carry guns on campus, making it an outlier among higher education institutions nationwide.

Some students are demanding that be changed.

Given recent SCOTUS decisions, and the fact that The University of Colorado is a public institution, restrictions may not be legal, but that doesn't worry the students. Their feelings are hurt.

One kid said he didn't understand why concealed carry was needed. Apparently CU Bolder is a crime-free zone. No one has ever been robbed, or assaulted, or ... Don't the mad, Leftist feminists keep telling us that college campuses are full of sexual assault? Or is that old news?

Teachers Union Tells Educators to Destroy Evidence

Because nothing, not even obeying the law, is more important than indoctrination. Controversy erupts in Jefferson County after the teachers union tells educators to destroy evidence of student surveys regarding gender identity - CBS Colorado

Gender pronoun surveys. Laws passed. Lawsuits pending.

An email from Jefferson County Education Association (JCEA) to teachers says, "if you do a questionnaire, please make it a paper and pencil activity - any digital records are more permanent and may be requested under federal law."

The union also encouraged teachers to "make your notations about students and not hold on to the documents."

Denice Crawford, who has three kids in the school district, says she was encouraged when the district sent an email to all employees before the school year started reminding them state and federal law prohibits mandatory surveys that ask kids about protected information and even voluntary surveys, it said, are illegal unless parents can opt out.

But one parent who was interviewed was incensed when her son came home with a survey, that she was not made aware of - opt out means before hand, and notice to the parents.

So do you think teachers who are breaking the law will be held to account? I don't.

Are People This Out of Touch with Reality?

Apparently they are. Colorado landowner kills mountain lion on property, but is that legal? | FOX31 Denver

First what happened.

Thursday morning, CPW said it received a report of a mountain lion kill in Larkspur. When CPW rangers arrived at the residence, the homeowner told them he saw a mountain lion attack one of his sheep. The homeowner then shot and killed the lion.

But then the "journalists" seem shocked that the homeowner will not be charged. After all, it is not hunting season.

The reason this landowner will not face charges is that livestock owners can legally kill, or “take,” a predator that is in the act of attacking livestock or humans, according to CPW.

It is a sad commentary on the state common sense when people can't be assumed to know this.

Another Failure of the Victim-selection Process

He apparently thought it was a good idea to break into an occupied home. Suspected home intruder shot by Colorado Springs resident, dies

Around 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, the Colorado Springs Police Department responded to a burglary on Nebula Court, in the Bear Creek neighborhood. The homeowner told police that an unknown man entered his home. Police say the homeowner then shot the person, who fled the home.

Cops found him, and took him to a local hospital, but he died from his injuries.

The investigation continues, but this appears to me to be self-defense. The DA will decide, and they typically hate self-defense.

What Would You Do If You Called 911, and They Ignored You?

Are you expecting the police to Keep You Safe? They can't be bothered. Widow claims police ignored her 911 call about husband being taken hostage before he was shot dead

She called 911 and told them her husband was being held hostage. They didn't respond. They did respond when someone called to tell them there was a dead body. That is what they do. Show up after the fact and deal with victims. Or have you forgotten Uvalde, Texas already? Did all the cops, and the fancy SWAT gear in Ulvade keep anyone safe?

“The Colorado Springs Police Department and El Paso County can make all the excuses they want, but the facts are simple,” [the widow's lawyer] added. “This was a hostage situation where Qualin Campbell was begging for his life, his wife called 911, the police were less than a mile away but they never responded.

“Let’s be clear – if the police don’t respond to a hostage situation, none of us are safe.”

But that is the situation. They don't have to respond, and so a lot of the time they don't respond. This is only one example of many. Uvalde is jsut a more famous example of the same thing.

She may have a lawyer, but she doesn't have a case. The Supreme Court has ruled more than once that the cops don't have a duty to protect you.

And since I brought up Uvalde, here is a picture of the most useless people in the entire state of Texas. Useless, but fashionable.

Relatives of Dead People Don't Like Self-defense

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. DEADLY NORTHGLENN SHOOTING: 2 weapons found at scene of backyard shootout | FOX31 Denver

Somewhere along the way, the parents failed to teach them that stealing is wrong. But then Right and Wrong are such 20th Century concepts. They are too close to Good and Evil.

Police said one of the boys had a semiautomatic pistol and the other had a machete when they encountered the resident who exchanged gunfire with one of the boys. Both were shot, taken to the hospital and later died, police said. The resident was not injured in the shootout.

As for those parents.

“I know he made mistakes, but he didn’t deserve this,” Cordova’s father, Ismael Rodriguez, said. “If somebody is breaking into your shed, they could have called the cops. There’s other alternatives than to just go outside and start shooting.”

Of course I'm sure that isn't what happened. He heard them, went outside to ask, "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" or words to that effect, and they opened fire. But that is only my guess, since the cops have not released much in the way of details. The cops haven't even released the identities of the two miscreants. That was done by one of the families.

And call the police? Really? After all the de-funding, there is no telling when they will show up. So this father wants you to do nothing. Maybe he should get on board with teaching other kids - his or other people's kids - that stealing is wrong, AND dangerous.

Self-defense is a human-right.

Officer Dillon Vakoff

End of Watch. Police in Colorado identify officer killed in the line of duty, suspect in custody

Officer Vakoff died early Sunday.

Officer Dillon Vakoff, 27, was killed while responding to a large family disturbance call. When officers arrived, they found a "chaotic scene with multiple people in the street," the Arvada Police Department said.

The initial two officers tried to separate several belligerent and uncooperative individuals when the suspect began to fire a weapon, shooting a female victim.

An exchange of gunfire between officers and the suspect ensued, when Vakoff was struck and killed.

The suspect was also shot. He was taken to the hospital in police custody. He is expected to survive.

Tell Me Again How Many Rounds I Might Need to Defend Myself

A modern 40 caliber pistol. I'm going to go out on limb and guess there were more than 10 rounds in the magazine. Colorado homeowner emptied pistol to kill bear that broke in.

Not that the media will provide more info, because the narrative must be defended. Though this is a story I covered last week. It is worth repeating because it makes a point.

He shot the bear once, and all that did was make it mad.

In an interview, Ken Mauldin said he grabbed his 40-caliber pistol, took his wife’s place at the door and shot once, aiming for the center of the bear’s body. He thinks the first shot hit the bear and it charged him as Mauldin continued firing.

As he was shooting, the bear got as close as 5 feet (1.5 meters) from Mauldin and then turned toward the stairs leading to the home’s front door. The bear crashed through a bannister as Mauldin emptied the gun and slid down the stairs, mortally wounded.

How many rounds you need for self-defense sort of depends on any number of factors that you can't know ahead of time, but it will include things like are you dealing with a freaking bear, or if there are multiple bad guys. Also, how many times am I allowed to miss when I am shaking from the stress and the adrenaline?

Self-defense is a human-right.

How Would You Respond to a Bear in Your Home?

I would hope to be armed. 'I saw the bear about 10 feet away and I shot it': Man kills bear that entered his Steamboat Springs home - CBS Colorado

It happened around 2 a.m. Saturday on the north side of the city. Colorado Parks and Wildlife said the near 400-pound bear entered the home through an unlocked door with a lever handle. The bear found dog food, and the commotion of his unwelcome visit woke one of the homeowners.

The wife screamed when she saw the bear in her home. That got the husband's attention.

The husband saw the bear 10 feet away from the bedroom door, and started shoot with a .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol.

At about 5 or 6 feet the bear changed direction and crashed through a banister on the stairs.

"That is within their legal rights to do that if they feel threatened by the bear," Gonzales said of the homeowner's actions.

Gonzales told CBS News Colorado there is no indication the large bear had been in homes before, but all bears are looking for food to fatten up for winter.

I'm guessing that the statement above is the answer to a brain-dead question from some "Professional Journalist." Does the homeowner have the duty to die, since he doesn't have a hunting license, or something?"

The ease of opening doors with lever handles are a problem in physical security, but this was the first time I've heard of a bear using one.

So what would you do if you found a bear in your home?