America watched the replay of the security video with absolute horror, the carjacking, abduction of a lovely, young, Birmingham family law lawyer on their cable news programs.A convicted robber and ex-convict, 35 year-old, Dedrick Griham was finally arrested and the victim rescued by police inside a motel.
In addition to kidnapping and armed robbery, Girham is now charged with one count of rape, two counts of sodomy. The victim endured hours of sheer terror at the hands of this gunman.
I wish the victim a speedy recovery from her ordeal and my full support. I hope she can get on with her life without being stared at as she represents her clients in the local courthouse.
It’s really too bad that the victim or an armed bystander could not have ended these crimes at the point they began.
The laws against carrying firearms as always only work for criminals.
I can’t help but think of how my late friend Annie Leybourne Biebel who escaped the fate of the Birmingham victim because she was both armed and trained to defend herself. If you haven’t yet you can read Annie’s story here.
I work Birmingham. This lady could have had a gun if she wished.The Local Sheriffs Office has one of the lowest cost permits in the state(7-10 dollars)and there are facilities and instructors availible in or within a 6-7 hour drive.This was a function of the It can't happen to me thought processes
ReplyDeleteYeah, but could she have carried in the courthouse or in her office building? Family Court is usually the first court to put up metal detectors and x-rays.
ReplyDeleteA CCW permit is pretty meaningless if you can't carry in your workplace!
JM
Courthouses in Arizona other than federal have put gun lockers in place for armed visitors. That’s somewhat acceptable and better than arming car thieves.
ReplyDeleteAs for a policy of not publishing alleged rape victims names it.s more about feel-good sensibilities. I’d say that publishing the name of a suspect before he’s been convicted of anything is not a good idea either.
In the case of the lawyer-victim I’ve not repeated her name simply because I don’t want her remembered for the rest of her live as a kidnap/rape victim rather than a wife, mother and lawyer.
John, don’t fee bad but I am going to delete the post where you used her name for the same reason. The fewer times her name is published in relation to these events, the better. I may well be futile.
It was one thing to use her name and photo while police were searching for her. Again, I wish this lady the very best. I’m sure she will be getting lots of hugs from people like me that are glad she’s still alive.
Perhaps this lawyer will discover a way to use the event not like a liability but a sword. I only regret that I was not there when it happened to send the offender off to the Medical Examiner’s office in a rubber bag.
We already have the right --- it's in the constitution!
ReplyDeleteToo bad lawmakers ignore the constitution as and when it suits them, and nobody calls them out on it.
A federal law facilitating national concealed carry will be blocked in court by the sates themselves that don't want this. They will use the conservative states rights argument.
ReplyDeleteThat argument won’t work very well when the Conservatives use the Liberal political technique of tying enforcement to receipt of federal funding for their crime fighting efforts.
ReplyDelete