Law-abiding New York resident, George Grier, might be disarmed for life after firing warning shots into the ground.

Mr. Grier, the lawful owner of an AK-47, was leaving his Long Island home when he noticed five gang members in his driveway. He believed that they belonged to the MS-13 gang and had arrived to carry out a home invasion. Mr. Grier immediately ran back inside the house and told his wife to call the police. He then grabbed his rifle, went outside, and asked the gang members to leave.

The gang members did not leave. Instead they taunted and shouted at him daring him to use his gun. They also threatened to kill him and his family. Upon hearing all of the commotion, an additional 20 gang members showed up in Mr. Grier's driveway.

Fearing for the safety of his family, Mr. Grier shot into the ground four times knowing that shots-fired calls get top priority. He knew that Long Island police vehicles were equipped with "ShotSpotter" a technology that informs police when and where shots are fired. He knew that once shots had been fired, the police would arrive within a few minutes. It was conceivably his only hope of getting immediate police assistance without further endangering himself or his family.

When the police arrived, however, they arrested the victim, George Grier, and charged him with felony reckless endangerment — a crime which requires a depraved indifference to human life, creating a risk that someone’s going to die.

If convicted of this felony, George Grier will never be able to lawfully own another firearm in his life.

New York law states that you can only use physical force to deter physical force. However, the physical assault of 25 gang members against one man clearly constitutes deadly force, not physical force.

New York's anti-gun law is very similar to the anti-gun laws in England wherein the victim cannot use a force greater than his attacker. This has caused countless victims in the UK, including rape victims, to be convicted for using non-lethal weapons (like knitting needles) to ward off an attack. This is the madness of the anti-gun movement.

When George Grier stood in his driveway, defenseless except for his rifle, he had two choices: To act or to show the gang members his unwillingness to use his defense weapon. Clearly, had Mr. Grier not fired the warning shots, he would have been attacked. Considering the immediate danger and the lack of police priority, he decision to fire his weapon into the ground was correct, safe, and sane.

The police arrived right away and no one was injured, including the state's precious gang members.

Anyone who supports Mr. Grier's position should contact Governor Paterson's office at 518-474-8390 and encourage the State of New York to drop the charges against Mr. Grier.

Jennifer Freeman is Executive Director and co-founder of Liberty Belles, a grass-roots organization dedicated to restoring and preserving the Second Amendment.
http://www.libertybelles.org
jennifer@libertybelles.org