How Old Do You Need to Be to Defend Yourself?

The Left says guns should not be available to anyone under 21, or something. Tampa Police Investigate Home Invasion | City of Tampa

The preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect, a male in his mid-teens, unlawfully entered an occupied residence when there was a confrontation with a teen who was inside the home. The teen resident shot the suspect who then fled from the residence.

They found the guy who got shot, and took him to a hospital.

So how old do you need to be to exercise your human right of self-defense?

A Near-Miss in Shipping

The Motor Vessel Tindle was coming into Port Tampa Bay when it lost power.

The Tindle is roughly 1000 feet long, carrying just under 100 thousand tons of cargo. The Tindle is 10 years old, carries 8,600 TEUs. TEU stands for 20-foot equivalent. It is a measure of containers. Most containers you see everyday are being towed by Semi-tractors, on a trailer chassis. Those are typically 40 feet long, so 2 TEUs. (That is sort of mid-sized by today's standards. It isn't even a Neo-Panamax size, though it is large to the Port of Tampa.)

People, who know nothing about shipping see a story like this and think "sabotage," or "conspiracy," or something. The truth is, that humanity is moving a tremendous amount of cargo. Or why do you think the rebuilt the Panama canal? Hint: not because it was a truth or dare. We are moving all of that cargo, and yet we are not perfect.

This is the What is Going on With Shipping? video Containership Loses Power Entering Tampa Bay | Pilot Utilized Tugs to Stop the Ship. Sal Mercogliano covers a bit of the conspiracy nuts take on all of this. He calls the increase in cargo activity, Volume and Velocity.

Now ships lose propulsion all the time. People don't understand, but it does happen, but when it happens during a maneuver like Tindle coming into the dock in Tampa that is critical, ... that is the moment when you don't need to what's called drop the plant, because now all of a sudden you've lost propulsion.

Floridians Are Almost As Heavily Armed as Texans

Which means Florida is a bad place to be a bad guy. Homeowner Shoots And Kills Intruder During Home Invasion In Palmetto Beach, Tampa

A resident reported that someone had broken into their home through a window and that they had shot the intruder after a confrontation.

Cops arrived to find a guy with a gunshot wound. He was declared dead at the scene.

Palmetto Beach is a neighborhood in Tampa, Florida, roughly sandwiched between the Ybor Channel and McKay Bay.

Very little information has been released, as the investigation is ongoing. The homeowner is cooperating with police, but it will be up to the DA to determine if any charges are filed.

Self-defense is a human right, and Florida has not morphed into a copy of New Jersey.

Drawing Your Weapon Is Not Enough

Being armed for your own defense is only a good idea if you are prepared to use the weapon to defend yourself. Jogger attacked in Tampa neighborhood rescued by father, son

Click thru for the details on the attack that the father and son stopped. That isn't the lesson of the day.

"I carry a concealed weapon. I drew my weapon," Charles said. "I yelled at him, 'Get off of her! Get off of her! I'll shoot you!' And ultimately, he stopped hitting her."

While the jogger escaped at that moment, Charles became the new target.

"He came at me and I still had my gun drawn, pointed right at him, and told him to stop or I would shoot. But he kept coming," he said. "Unfortunately, I allowed him to get too close to me, at which point he hit me in the head. I stumbled backward, fell onto the sidewalk, hit my head on the sidewalk, and things got a little fuzzy at that point."

People have died from a fall where they hit their head on concrete. If he had been alone, he could have been disarmed and shot. This could have gone wrong in so many ways. You don't carry concealed unless you are willing to use the weapon. Otherwise you may be better off with some other form of defense, like pepper spray. Drawing a gun and not using it is tantamount to asking to have it taken away from you.

And once again, you are NOT protected by your zip code.

"No one can believe that this happened here," Charles said. "We can't believe this happened here. And hopefully, it never happens here again."

At least it all turned out OK, but wishful thinking, and treating a gun like a magic talisman is not the way to ensure your safety.