Ah, here it is. I knew this was coming a long at some point and so I'll use it now to raise my point about guns.
Your mom, as nice a lady as I am sure she is, isn't trained, inspected or permitted to use or keep a gun. You, a so called law abiding gun owner, have no hesitation what so ever to give a gun to someone who isn't trained, or permitted to keep a gun, let alone a semi automatic handgun in her home. Of course you mean well and I understand that, but what you don't see is, that she would likely be giving that gun up should something happen.
I know it sounds really really easy to gun down a seriously evil person who is bent on killing, then raping then eating some of what's left, in your mind. But it's not that way in reality. Unless trained, most people are going to at the very least hesitate and question themselves and the situation. Before they know it, the gun is out of their hands and in the hands of someone who at the very least, broke into a home they knew someone was in to steal things.
Now that criminal has a gun and your mother. Just what good is that going to do anyone?
So what ends up happening, is you, a law abiding gun owner is putting a gun in the hands of a criminal. This should never ever even cross your mind. That's the problem with gun ownership today. Too many people who own guns, take that responsibility far to lightly. Because of that, we need to have the government implement a gun registry. So that when someone finds a gun that is in the wrong hands, it can be traced back to the person who was supposed to be responsible for it and remove that responsibility they obviously can't handle.
There are other options. None are free and easy but then arming Mom with an illegal hand gun isn't going to be free or easy when it comes down to it either.
As to the OP here, the crux is that when he exited his home, he had plenty room to escape and thus, no longer under attack. Once he exited the house, they fled. Even masked the police found two of the three and arrested them. The third is wanted and should he pop his head up, they're going to arrest him too.
If someone is trying to kill you, then in my book you can kill them if that's what it takes to keep you from dying. But the moment they flee, you aren't under threat any longer and have no right to do anything other than call them names as they run away. Bullets go in the front not the back.
Well, I've been waiting for Bob to take up the cudgel on this one, but that has not happened (he must have missed it)....so I'll step up to the plate.
First of all, you make too many assumptions your reply:
1. The lady is not trained.
2. The lady is not permitted to have firearms.
3. The lady lives in Canada, not in the USA.....where defensive gun use is not discouraged.
4. The firearms (a .45) he offered to lend her is a handgun. There are lots of long guns that fire pistol ammo.
5. The basic assumption that led to all the above: the action of lending the lady a firearm would be illegal, irresponsible, or both.
Because someone does not like firearms does not mean they are not trained in their use.
Now, let's get to the crux of the matter......firearms are used in self defense in the USA about 2 million times per year, and in Canada about 20,000 times a year. Rarely are shots fired. Nine times out of ten, the mere display of a weapon deters criminal assault. Therefore your contention that "she would likely be giving that gun up should something happen" is garbage.......there is VERY little chance that the weapon would wind up in criminal hands, it is ten times more likely the criminal flees with no shot being fired. That makes the crux of your argument nonsense. So much for arming the criminal element, a ludicrous argument, easily shot to pieces.
Guns and Self-Defense by Gary Kleck, Ph.D.
http://www.garymauser.net/pdf/CSD-JCJ-JFP-8-3-99.pdf
Secondly, I doubt Bob is one to simply dump a firearm on Mom without some knowledge of her effective capability to use it. I'm sure he would have offered some rudimentary instruction.......if she had none previously. Now you might say that is an assumption on my part, but I think it is a reasonable one, having read his posts.
Thirdly, as has been posted here over and over and over, the man's house was afire, they put one through his window, WHEN HE EXITED THE HOUSE HE WAS RUNNING OUT INTO THE PRESENCE OF ATTACKERS ARMED WITH MOLOTOV COCKTAILS. He should have shot the first guy centre mass.
And Fourth, and more to the point....when it come right down to it, if you care more about some idiot piece of legislation than about the ability of your loved ones to defend themselves when threatened, your priorities are completely ****ed.