Our View: Guns give meaning to protection

Editor's note: The following editorial first appeared in the Colorado Springs Gazette, sister publication to this newspaper. It speaks to the importance of responsible gun ownership and its value to all law-abiding Americans.

Colorado Springs deserves an award. In three consecutive months, private citizens have taken responsibility to stop violent crime in its tracks, shooting five violent predators. They've sent a powerful message to criminals everywhere, and it goes like this: There's no easy prey in Colorado Springs.

The recent spate of foiled crime began Nov. 27, when Gibran Gayton pulled a semiautomatic handgun and threatened Charles Kellogg, the owner of Jet-Way Liquors. Police said Gayton demanded cash from Kellogg, 74 at the time, who surprised Gayton by pulling his own gun. Gayton, 21, was pronounced dead at Memorial Hospital.

That same week, 52-year-old Lisa Jean Hinkle shot a man who she said threatened her in violation of a restraining order. Police reports showed the man had threatened to kill Hinkle and her family, just before trapping her in a fenced backyard. The man died from one shot to his chest. Police questioned and released Hinkle.

Next came the tragic Dec. 9 shooting rampage at New Life Church. As the world knows, 24-year-old Matthew Murray showed up heavily armed and prepared to kill hundreds of worshippers. He shot and killed 18-year-old Stephanie Works and her sister, 16-year-old Rachel, in the parking lot. He shot and injured their father, 51-year-old David Works, and churchgoers Larry Bourbannais, 59, and Judy Purcell, 40.

Before Murray could open rapid fire on the congregation of thousands, however, New Life member Jeanne Assam, 42, bravely pursued and shot him with a handgun she carried concealed with a permit. Murray took his life after Assam seriously injured him. Assam's a modern hero, whose picture should have graced the covers of Newsweek and Time.

Upon initial reports, it appears 19-year-old Cody Buckler acted heroically as well. Sunday night, based on police reports obtained by The Gazette, Buckler was asleep at his home in Fountain. Shortly before 11 p.m., Buckler heard adult voices coming from the living room. He heard a man identifying himself as a policeman to a child in the home.

Buckler told Fountain police he crept down the hall and saw two men wearing masks, gloves and hats. He returned to his bedroom and retrieved a 12-gauge shotgun — arguably the world's most practical home defense weapon. Buckler returned to the living room to find one of the men trying to steal a TV. Buckler shot the man, who then fled through a doorway.

Buckler saw another intruder coming up the stairs. He shot him, and the man ran back downstairs and escaped through a basement window. Both men checked themselves into Memorial Hospital, which contacted police.

Police say the intruders were armed with semiautomatic handguns. Buckler lives with his girlfriend and three young children. By confronting the intruders, he may have saved lives. Buckler, seemingly mature for his age, assumed responsibility for protecting children. Parents and schools often teach kids what to do in the event of fires and tornados, but few have plans for the event of a criminal invasion. Buckler had a plan.

Police can't be the only plan. It's not their primary role to enjoin crimes in progress — an unreasonable expectation of the public. Most cops would like to interrupt violent crime, but it's impossible in almost every case. What if the only hope of congregants at New Life had been the police? Many more could have died — even though the first police units arrived quickly.

Imagine what might have happened to Charles Kellogg, or Cody Buckler and family, had safety been left to the police. In just a few minutes, criminals can shoot multiple victims, steal valuables and be down the road.

Among its peers, Colorado Springs has a small police force. Yet the city's violent crime rate falls below the national average for cities its size. We suspect that's due, at least in part, to a tradition among law-abiding adults learning the safe and proper use of defensive weapons and taking personal responsibility for their own safety, and the protection of weaker and meeker citizens whom they love. Colorado Springs should be proud.