In today’s Washington Post, Courtland Milloy says a recent stabbing in DC provides a ‘textbook case for legalizing handguns in the District.’ Here’s an excerpt:

Someone like Wright would never have been able to prove that he needed a gun to walk his dog — until Sunday, that is. By then, of course, it would have been too late.


To better understand the benefits of a “concealed carry” firearm, consider how the encounter between Wright and Colbert might have unfolded if Wright had been armed and followed a basic self‐​defense protocol:


According to police reports, Colbert comes out of his house with a knife in one hand and a stick in the other. Being alert to the approaching threat, an armed Wright would now have several options. He could pull his gun, say, a .40‐​caliber Glock semiautomatic, which speaks volumes without firing a shot: “Never bring a knife to a gunfight, pal.”


Or he could just wait until the assailant gets close enough to meet the legal definition of justifiable homicide. …


Say what you will about the perils of gun ownership, but nobody can doubt that Wright would be alive today if he’d had one.

Read the whole thing. Related posts here, here, and here.


Check out the new Cato study on defensive gun use, Tough Targets.