[More guns] Texas DA, wife shot to death

[Numo]

Here's a guy who carried a gun and feared for his life. Apparently having a gun in the home for self-defense didn't help him and his wife.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/30/justice/te...?hpt=hp_t1

[Black]

So, under what circumstances does owning and carrying a gun actually increase one's safety?

The McLellands were killed almost exactly two months after Hasse was shot to death in broad daylight outside the county courthouse on January 31.

Hasse had feared for his life and carried a gun to work, said a Dallas attorney who described herself as his longtime friend.

Colleen A. Dunbar said she spoke with Hasse on January 24. She said the prosecutor told her he began carrying a gun in and out of the county courthouse daily.

"He told me he would use a different exit every day because he was fearful for his life," Dunbar told CNN.

She said that Hasse gave no specifics on why he felt threatened -- only that he did.

[cbelt3]

Only in circumstances where you are trained and not surprised.

This officer of the court is gunned down along with his wife , probably in retribution for prosecuting a criminal . And you want to play anti gun games ? Feh.

[max]

Ammo wrote:
Here's a guy who carried a gun and feared for his life. Apparently having a gun in the home for self-defense didn't help him and his wife.

I agree, he would still be alive if he did not have a gun......

[SteveG]

Sure Max, guns don't kill anybody...

Families Mark Anniversary of Oakland Massacre
OAKLAND, Calif. March 31, 2013 (AP)

Families of the people killed in a shooting rampage at a small Oakland university last year are remembering their lost loved ones as the one-year anniversary of the massacre approaches. Seven people were killed in the shooting at Oikos University on April 2, 2012 when authorities say One Goh opened fire.

[Black]

cbelt3 wrote:
Only in circumstances where you are trained and not surprised.

Any recent examples you can cite?

It seems painfully obvious to me that the number of civilians who are actually safer because they own and carry guns is miniscule compared to those who end up killed by their own guns. Help me challenge that perception with factual occurrences.

[max]

Steve G. wrote:
Sure Max, guns don't kill anybody...

I do not understand your objection for wasI not totally agreeing with your's and Howard's point of view.
It was solely the presence of evil guns that caused the death of two innocents:....

max wrote:
[quote=Ammo]
Here's a guy who carried a gun and feared for his life. Apparently having a gun in the home for self-defense didn't help him and his wife.

I agree, he would still be alive if he did not have a gun......

[DCrunch]

Black wrote:
[quote=cbelt3]
Only in circumstances where you are trained and not surprised.

Any recent examples you can cite?

It seems painfully obvious to me that the number of civilians who are actually safer because they own and carry guns is miniscule compared to those who end up killed by their own guns. Help me challenge that perception with factual occurrences.
A man in his early 40s entered a nail salon at about 5:30 PM and began asking a female employee about purchasing diamonds. When the confused woman told the man she had no money to buy diamonds, he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a pistol. When a customer getting her nails done saw what was happening, she reached into her purse and pulled out her own firearm. Upon seeing the woman's gun, the man quickly fled the salon. (Casper Star Tribune, Casper, WY, 12/11/12)

[Black]

DCrunch wrote:
[quote=Black]
[quote=cbelt3]
Only in circumstances where you are trained and not surprised.

Any recent examples you can cite?

It seems painfully obvious to me that the number of civilians who are actually safer because they own and carry guns is miniscule compared to those who end up killed by their own guns. Help me challenge that perception with factual occurrences.
A man in his early 40s entered a nail salon at about 5:30 PM and began asking a female employee about purchasing diamonds. When the confused woman told the man she had no money to buy diamonds, he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a pistol. When a customer getting her nails done saw what was happening, she reached into her purse and pulled out her own firearm. Upon seeing the woman's gun, the man quickly fled the salon. (Casper Star Tribune, Casper, WY, 12/11/12)
Huh?

[Mac-A-Matic]

The cited article mentions:

"And authorities aren't sure whether their killing are part of a broader scheme targeting criminal justice officials."

"A law enforcement official told The Dallas Morning News that a door was apparently kicked in, and 'there are shell casings everywhere.'"

"The McLellands were killed almost exactly two months after Hasse was shot to death in broad daylight outside the county courthouse on January 31.

Hasse had feared for his life and carried a gun to work, said a Dallas attorney who described herself as his longtime friend.

The OP asserts:

Apparently having a gun in the home for self-defense didn't help him and his wife.

However, there is no evidence in the article to suggest that McLelland had a gun at home. It was Hasse who was armed and he was gunned down not at home, but outside the county courthouse in broad daylight.

Beyond this, the data provided in the article isn't enough to deduce much of anything. A kicked in door and "shell casings everywhere" suggest that the killers surprised McLelland and his wife and possibly gunned them down with a large amount of bullets.

In situations such as this, where the victims are taken by surprise and with extreme force, it becomes difficult to meet that force with an equal or exceeding amount of force. From the details in the article, it would seem that perhaps these are indeed retaliation killings by criminals who are unlikely to have procured their weapons through legal channels, but we cannot tell with any level of certainly because the article lacks information.