Biden says shoot through door - man arrested for doing so

[KyJim]

First VP Biden suggested women buy a shotgun and fire out the back door and into the air. Now he has told Field and Stream they should just shoot through the door. According to this story from US News, a man in Virginia Beach was arrested on reckless handling of a firearm for doing just that. That shouldn't be a surprise to anyone here. Except in some very unusual circumstances, firing through a closed door is sure to be very closely scrutinized.

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/02/28/biden-advises-shooting-shotgun-through-door

Also, take a look at this video on YouTube. While it has been posted elsewhere, it's just too good to pass up. Stay with it. It shows untrained women shooting 12 gauge shotguns. I don't think this is the way to break in new shooters but it makes a point. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jafkVM-jnbE

 

[Tom Servo]

The Field & Stream interview is here.

Biden is clearly muddled on a number of points. He acknowledges that the 2A protects a right to self-defense, irrespective of militia membership, but then claims that the AR-15 isn't necessary for that purpose:

And so the question is, is that necessary for you to protect yourself? How many legitimate hunters go out and hunt like that?

the Supreme Court laid out that that particular weapon is not a usual weapon in the sense that you need it for your self-protection or for hunting purposes. If you have to go up into the Poconos and go bear hunting or deer hunting with that weapon, and you need a clip that has 30 rounds in it, then you shouldn’t be hunting.

So, are we talking hunting or self-defense, Joe? Well...

Well, the way in which we measure it is—I think most scholars would say—is that as long as you have a weapon sufficient to be able to provide your self-defense. (...) my shotgun will do better for you than your AR-15, because you want to keep someone away from your house, just fire the shotgun through the door.

I've not heard any scholars say that, though I guarantee the Brady Campaign will be using this in their rhetoric by, say, Saturday.

 

[zukiphile]

First VP Biden suggested women buy a shotgun and fire out the back door and into the air. Now he has told Field and Stream they should just shoot through the door.

Ah. The Oscar Pistorius method.

 

[overhead]

That happened fairly close to where I live. My *impression* in reading lots of the local stories about it was that the police probably did not believe there was really two armed guys trying to get into his place. Beyond that, he had retreated behind a closed door with access to a phone and a weapon and an exit. He choose to go back and shoot through the door, then open the door and shoot through the window. That, in my opinion, is reckless.

Also, VP Biden is still not very smart. I don't think that is going to change anytime soon.

 

[psyfly]

For better or worse, our VP is certainly making a good case that there are people out there too ignorant and reckless to be trusted with a firearm...

 

[adamc]

** News flash **
in from Home Depot.....

New Door sales up 200%

Biden nominated as "Door Salesman" of the year

 

[Tom Servo]

This is the Law & Civil Rights forum. Let's keep discussion on that tack and avoid lampooning Joe Biden.

Yes, I know it's soooo tempting, but it's not what we do here.

Some of us remember that Joe was one of the architects of the original AWB, and that he used to argue that there was no individual right to keep and bear arms.

Now he's admitting there is, but he's trying to box it in by reducing it to the right only to protect oneself from crime (he also implies that the right extends to any crime). And for that, he reasons, you only need a shotgun.

The AR-15, he claims, is just a militia weapon, and since the 2nd Amendment is no longer about the militia, civilians shouldn't have them.

This from the guy who used to say the 2nd Amendment only protects a militia. My head hurts.

 

[Glenn E. Meyer]

I read the article - what to say?

The comment on that that the issue is the 'size of the round'. 223 is a small round compared to most deer guns. We all know that. When I shoot carbine next to a guy with some 308 - you can kind of tell the difference.

Shooting through the door - Joe needs to read Killing in Self-defense by Leverick. BTW, this is not a gun book but a legal text. Very informative.

GEM

 

[SPEMack618]

Just shared that article with my sister, who remarked that I would have long ago felt the wraith of local fathers with daughters of child bearing age. I chuckled.

 

[Evan Thomas]

I was struck by this response of Mr. Biden's during the discussion of AR15s:

F&S: It’s a very popular rifle, and it’s popular for varmints and smaller game, and actually, the round is actually not as effective or powerful as many more traditional big-game rounds.

V.P. BIDEN: Well, I think that’s true. In fact, I know that’s true, having fired the assault weapons or however you want to characterize semiautomatic rifles.(Emphasis mine.)​

In his mind, they're all the same?

 

[SPEMack618]

Well, according to the text of AWB '13, you would be hard pressed to find any magazine fed semi-auto rifle that wasn't characterized as an "assualt weapon."

 

[SHE3PDOG]

I read the article. Firstly, I'd like to say that I can't believe the VP would go further with his shotgun theory by saying fire it through the door, but in our current political climate, I guess I can say I'm not too shocked. I'd like to ridicule the VP more, but I will refrain from doing so.

As for the man that shot through the door, if I read the article correctly he was still inside his house when he fired through bedroom door and the shots were directed at someone that was presumed to be in that room within the house. I don't know much about Virginia law, but I think if he had only fired through his own bedroom door he would have been okay in the eyes of the law, but firing out the window was almost definitely his downfall.