Last April we shared the news of a 78-year-old British citizen successfully defending his London area home from two armed thugs half his age. The successful execution of justifiable self-defense by Richard Osborn-Brooks brought attention to the fact that viable weapons are valuable tools and provided context as to the crises which UK residents face, as government facilitates relentless attempts to disarm the populace.
Since the troubling incident, British authorities continue to double down in drafting deplorable legislation aimed at limiting the rights of law abiding citizens to wield weapons, and Osborn-Brooks and his wife face the horrific nightmare of not being able to return to their home, a sickening reality exacerbated by the presence of strict firearms laws.
In the immediate wake of Mr. Brooks overpowering and stabbing one intruder to death while the accomplice fled the scene, the family of the deceased perpetrator launched a blood curdling vendetta against the elderly couple, beginning with personal visits outside of the home, reports the Sun, and the construction of temporary memorial shrines. Much to the dismay of the Brooks and the residents of the neighborhood, crime skyrocketed, and the escalation of disturbances by next of kin has transformed the quiet residential area into a virtual war zone. There are even resounding whispers that a professional hit has proliferated throughout the scourge of the London criminal underworld, to allegedly equal the score of drug addict and career criminal Henry Vincent succumbing to poetic justice in ultimately failing at the violent robbery attempt.
As the Brooks are apparently still in hiding, and Vincent’s relatives salivating at the opportunity of slow and painful vengeance, the sordid narrative is indicative of the ineffectual policy bestowed upon residents by elected officials unable to process the simple concept of criminals ceaselessly preying on the physically inferior or elderly, unless there exists some sort of magic device, or threat of a such device that levels the playing field. As the urban nerve center and melting pot for the British Isles, London is in complete freefall, as crooks do not fear immediate and severe repercussions. Firearms are a lost cause, and the mayor has formulated an aggressive task force that will explore restrictions on knives. Before it is all said and done, citizens will be lucky not to face criminal sanctions for hurling the larger rock to thwart an assault, or carrying a board with a nail to prevent a burglary. While the socioeconomics of self-defense are rigorously complex and ingrained in their nature next to a tawdry metaphor, there are no apologies for attempting to illustrate a crucial and pressing issue facing society.
The reality that gets lost within the shuffle pertaining to bureaucracy is once legislation and policy is enacted into law, the odds for retraction reach lottery like levels. In the case of the UK this means that permanence generated from the short-sighted perspective government equates to a paradigm shift in the nature of violent crimes. For the unfortunate victims of the contemporary tapestry of British culture this equates to a stark rise in assaults, burglary, and murders, as the absence of guns produces chaotic circumstances in the daily ebb and flow of the average citizen. A fate that sensible advocates of the Constitution vehemently battle against as radical leftists forward a campaign fueled by a “feel good” notion that by limiting rights, somehow, the nefarious worst of the worst perpetuators will suddenly morph into gentle beings and volunteer their time at the local learning annex. When senior citizens cannot sleep well at night in pondering their immediate fate from a collection of scum bags, exploring changes is the least that decision makers can guarantee.
Pipe dreams are just that, and nothing more needs to said in the attempt to share details of a modern day plight that could pass for a mention in a Ken Bruen or Ian Rankin crime fiction novel. Thanks to the disingenuous prevarications of Parliament, nightmares are reality and sensible fantasy is a dish best served in Hell, the next destination on the progressive multi-billion dollar light rail system. “God Save the Queen.”
Read the Sun story here.