March 21, 2008 8:50AM # Victim Shot While Calling 911 By [Tim Lynch](https://www.cato.org/people/tim-lynch) --- SHARE A California woman was [shot to death](http://news.findlaw.com/ap/other/1110//03-20-2008/20080320105002_06.html) as she pleaded with emergency dispatchers to come and help her. Her death will not make the network news programs this evening, but this is the latest reminder that we must take responsibility for our own safety and not rely on the police. Bill Masters, a libertarian and sheriff of a Colorado county tells the residents of his county, “It is your responsibility to protect yourself and your family from criminals. If you rely on the government for protection, you are going to be at least disappointed and at worst injured or killed.” Gun control puts honest citizens in the position of having to choose between protecting their lives or respecting the law. What kind of [government](https://www.cato.org/2007/12/15/bill-of-rights-day/) would do [such a thing](https://www.cato.org/2007/08/08/no-right-to-life/)? More on gun control [here](https://www.cato.org/subtopic_display_new.php?topic_id=30&ra_id=9) and [here](http://dcguncase.com/blog/case-filings/). ##### Related Tags [Constitutional Law](https://www.cato.org/constitutional-law), [Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies](https://www.cato.org/robert-levy-center-constitutional-studies) [![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).