86-year-old woman grabs gun in self-defense

[X Factor 1,112]

86-year-old woman grabs gun in self-defense

An 86-year-old woman grabbed a gun in self-defense when police say an intruder broke into her home. News 5 sat down with this woman today and listened to her tell about the experience.

Louise Howard lives just off a busy highway in Bulls Gap.

She told us she's been the victim of theft many times before, and she's had enough and it was time to take a stand. "I told different people if I ever catch them, I mean to kill them," said Louise Howard.

Louise Howard may be 86 years old, but she isn't afraid to defend her home or her life.

On Friday afternoon she was forced to do that. Howard said a young woman broke the glass on her door and forced her way inside. "I was in shock. I didn't know what she was going to do to me!" Howard said.

Howard immediately grabbed her gun, but the two started to struggle down the hall. "I already had my gun in my hand, and I wouldn't turn it loose for anything," she explained.

Howard's hands are proof she wasn't letting go. "She stuck a fingernail in there," said Howard. "She moved her hands, sort of released me a bit. I moved over like that, and I was going to shoot her in the stomach, but she took her knee and hit my elbow."

The bullet ended up inside the wall, where it remained after the struggle.

Sheriff Ronnie Lawson told us Howard was in her rights to use her gun for protection. "All indications [were] the intruder, the female, had a wrench. It was what she used to break the window of the door so she could've defended herself," Sheriff Lawson explained.

Howard said she is a repeat victim of crime. "I decided I would put all of my valuables in my pocketbook, and they would be with me wherever I went and nobody would get it," she said.

But she still came out with a loss. Investigators said the suspect took her purse that held two sets of keys, some rings, a bank card, and checkbook. Thankfully for her, nothing more valuable than that was taken.

"I was more scared for my cat than I was for me, because I guess I'd give my life to that cat, I love him so," said Howard.

http://www.wcyb.com/news/86-year-old-woman-grabs-gun-in-self-defense/-/14590844/18404728/-/9fdio6z/-/index.html

The woman turned herself in on February 6. http://www.wcyb.com/news/Officers-woman-confessed-to-breaking-into-86-year-old-s-home/-/14590844/18443692/-/7qocjvz/-/index.html

[raf.luv.leah 5]

Hardcore.

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

86-year-old woman grabs gun in self-defense

An 86-year-old woman grabbed a gun in self-defense when police say an intruder broke into her home. News 5 sat down with this woman today and listened to her tell about the experience.

Louise Howard lives just off a busy highway in Bulls Gap.

She told us she's been the victim of theft many times before, and she's had enough and it was time to take a stand. "I told different people if I ever catch them, I mean to kill them," said Louise Howard.

Louise Howard may be 86 years old, but she isn't afraid to defend her home or her life.

On Friday afternoon she was forced to do that. Howard said a young woman broke the glass on her door and forced her way inside. "I was in shock. I didn't know what she was going to do to me!" Howard said.

Howard immediately grabbed her gun, but the two started to struggle down the hall. "I already had my gun in my hand, and I wouldn't turn it loose for anything," she explained.

Howard's hands are proof she wasn't letting go. "She stuck a fingernail in there," said Howard. "She moved her hands, sort of released me a bit. I moved over like that, and I was going to shoot her in the stomach, but she took her knee and hit my elbow."

The bullet ended up inside the wall, where it remained after the struggle.

Sheriff Ronnie Lawson told us Howard was in her rights to use her gun for protection. "All indications [were] the intruder, the female, had a wrench. It was what she used to break the window of the door so she could've defended herself," Sheriff Lawson explained.

Howard said she is a repeat victim of crime. "I decided I would put all of my valuables in my pocketbook, and they would be with me wherever I went and nobody would get it," she said.

But she still came out with a loss. Investigators said the suspect took her purse that held two sets of keys, some rings, a bank card, and checkbook. Thankfully for her, nothing more valuable than that was taken.

"I was more scared for my cat than I was for me, because I guess I'd give my life to that cat, I love him so," said Howard.

http://www.wcyb.com/...6z/-/index.html

The woman turned herself in on February 6. http://www.wcyb.com/...vz/-/index.html

Good for her...

[Penny Lane 8,159]

Good for her...

I feel this 86 year old woman is being exploited in the name of your pro-gun agenda. Please stop.

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

I feel this 86 year old woman is being exploited in the name of your pro-gun agenda. Please stop.

Well she is to some degree. The difference is we are exploiting an elderly woman who lived because she had a gun and was not a victim. Not lots of dead children who were victims. I guess everyone has an agenda, our just usally use people who don't become victims.

[Penny Lane 8,159]

Well she is to some degree. The difference is we are exploiting an elderly woman who lived because she had a gun and was not a victim. Not lots of dead children who were victims. I guess everyone has an agenda, our just usally use people who don't become victims.

Oh okay, exploiting the living is acceptable. I understand now.

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

I feel this 86 year old woman is being exploited in the name of your pro-gun agenda. Please stop.

Wait what? How is using her experience to further the cause of gun ownership exploiting her? I support her right to own a firearm. I'm not exploiting her, I am supporting her and her civil rights.

[Penny Lane 8,159]

Wait what? How is using her experience to further the cause of gun ownership exploiting her? I support her right to own a firearm. I'm not exploiting her, I am supporting her and her civil rights.

It was a comment about how some of the right wing folk on here have started accusing the left wing folk of "exploiting" people to further an agenda.

If we post a story (like Newtown), we are accused of exploiting children (this was said in another thread)

But if they post a story about a gun being used for the RIGHT reasons, they aren't exploiting anything or anyone. See the abortion thread for more hypocrisy.

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

It was a comment about how some of the right wing folk on here have started accusing the left wing folk of "exploiting" people to further an agenda.

If we post a story (like Newtown), we are accused of exploiting children (this was said in another thread)

But if they post a story about a gun being used for the RIGHT reasons, they aren't exploiting anything or anyone. See the abortion thread for more hypocrisy.

Well it depends on HOW the story is posted and commented on. Unfortunately, children are often used in a stereotypical logical fallacy in order to appeal to one's emotional side rather than one's logic. We never want to write policy on emotion. This was satirized on the simpsons quite well to pass illogical laws:

On the "pro-gun" stories I'm not really seeing an appeal to emotion but rather examples of people using guns legally to protect themselves. This story might have been used to exploit the woman if posters were focusing on her age etc. but as I've seen thus far each story is a different demographic.

I've often heard politicians make statements such as "if this law just saves one child's life its worth it". Thats an illogical statement that plays on people's emotions. If we apply that idea to all laws, we might as well stay in our beds.

[X Factor 1,112]

That was one tough grandma ... don't mess with her

[^_^ 5,021]

I've often heard politicians make statements such as "if this law just saves one child's life its worth it". Thats an illogical statement that plays on people's emotions. If we apply that idea to all laws, we might as well stay in our beds.

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