Most individuals around the country obtain their licenses or
permit to carry because they fear some incident might happen in the future. However, there
are other who have experienced a dangerous encounter and want to protect themselves in the
future. Here is an account of one person from Tennessee who is this category.
George Moulder of Bedford County and his wife decided to take their two
adopted children on a trip to Las Vegas. They has chose a family theme hotel because of
the children. Upon their arrival at the hotel, the nightmare began in the parking lot.
A man jumped out at Mr. Moulder and began shoving a dirk at him,
shouting that he wanted money. Mr. Moulder responded by saying, "If you stop stabbing
at me, I might be able to help you". The man became more violent and slashed Mr.
Moulder under his left arm. Mr. Moulder was able to grab his attacker's arm but not before
he was struck and had his lung punctured.
It was at this time that his wife saw what was happening and approached
screaming at the attacker. As she approached, the man swung his weapon at Mrs. Moulder and
slashed her on the forehead. At this point, because of Mrs. Moulder's screams, the man
broke off the attack and began to run. He ran to the side of the hotel where he jumped
into a waiting vehicle. He did not get any money from Mr. Moulder.
Mr. Moulder went to his truck to get a towel to try to stop the
bleeding from his wound. He heard some people commenting that they should not get involved
because it was a "domestic problem". Hearing this, Mr. Moulder removed the towel
from his would so that the people around him could see he was bleeding and asked someone
to call for help. As he looked at his wounds, he said to his wife, "I think this is
it". She told him not to worry, he was going to be alright.
Her statement would turn out to be true but not until a long painful
ordeal in the hospital.
Mr. Moulder had his lung torn and it had collapsed. The procedure he
went through included the trauma unit, operations on his chest, his side, stomach and
removal of a portion of his lung. He still has problems.
I have intentionally omitted the name of the hotel because they have
covered the medical bills and continue to show concern. Although this type of attack could
happen anywhere, the hotel does not need bad publicity over this incident.
The investigating Nevada Police officer told Mr. Moulder that he
believes the incident was gang related. Similar attacks have happened in the past. He
believed that because of the Tennessee license plate and Mr. Moulder not being a large man
and an older gentleman, that he seemed like a good target. He "fit the profile"
of an easy mark. The officer also told Mr. Moulder that if he'd had a gun and shot the
attacker, he would not have had any problems with the police.
This brings up the same point I hear over and over again when something
like this happens. If the victim had stopped the criminal with lethal force, he would have
been vindicated. However, most law abiding citizens are not able to defend themselves
because of the restrictions placed on them by the current laws.
The majority of law abiding citizens do not carry guns where the law
says they can't carry guns. However, the criminals take these restrictions and use them to
their own advantage knowing that most law abiding citizens will obey the law! These
"gun free zones" only hurt the law abiding. "Gun free zones" are the
same as saying to a criminal who is intent on committing crime, "come here and get
your victim"!
Just look at the largest restriction on law abiding legally armed
citizens in Tennessee. The current law says that it is forbidden to carry a gun where
alcohol is sold and served. As a result, if you pay for your gas in a convenience store,
you are not allowed to carry your gun. Convenience stores are a "high priority"
for armed thugs. They do not care what the law says because they are not law abiding.
Because of this restriction, the odds are on the side of the criminals since they do not
care where they go with their guns!
Mr. Moulder asked me how he can get a Tennessee handgun permit. He and
his wife will be my guests at no charge for the mandatory gun class. He and his wife will
survive their wounds but their children will have nightmares for a long time to come. When
the children come of age, and if I am still around, I will not charge them either if they
want to become legally armed. Being legally armed and having a weapon to defend oneself in
a similar attack might prevent the criminal from harming another family.
Let us all try to change our Tennessee law and take off the shackles
imposed on Law Abiding Legally Armed Citizens!
Gene Kennedy
Special Offer To All Tennessee Permit Holders
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04/19/2002
