Carlos Garcia Morales Is A Real-Life Boogeyman

Rotten Apple:
I believe Popeye Ray has Tourette’s or English is not his first language, or he is just here to aggravate.
Either way, he FAILS.  *yawn*
This guy has some major balls to go into someone’s house and take their child who is sleeping right next to them with the intent to hurt them.  He’s either wacked out of his mind or he had been stalking this family.  Creeeeepy.  Real life boogeyman for sure.

Has anyone else noticed that we have several members who as of late have seemingly used every comment to push their own agenda?  As in, turning stories that really have nothing to do with illegal immigration and, say, gun control into referendums on illegal immigration and gun control?  Or perhaps just looking for a petty pissing match on said issues?  Inexplicably?

Yeah…I’ve noticed that.

Deety:
Yes, and frequently those comments don’t make much sense in context. Like “this is why we can’t let the sicko’s take our guns away”. Because the parents should have been shooting in the dark at the man holding their baby?

And who are these “sicko’s,” anyway?  Baby rapists?  There is a big conspiracy by baby rapists and abusers to take everyone’s guns away?  I thought it was the dreaded “liberals” who were doing that…I’m obviously not as informed about the great conspiracy to take everyone’s guns as are other commenters here….nor am I up on the particulars of the coming Mexican takeover of the United States, for that matter.  Man, I’ve really got to get with the program!

jmack:
I don’t think the firearms comment was that off base, though poorly worded. Clearly, if there is a bad guy in your house, a firearm in a proficient citizen’s hands can be a help, even in this case. Clearly if he’s holding your toddler, caution would be in order, but if the opportunity arose, and you got a clear shot at normal residence ranges (10 feet or less), shooting at his lower body could be an option. A hit in the foot or lower leg in the hallway could stop the chase without endagering the child anymore than letting a rapist carry her off (I am shocked he didn’t kill this kid immediately) , and would not be unlikely for a well trained shootist, even under stress at that range. And if you catch up to him, better armed than not, if you know what you’re doing. Personally, I feel everyone with a loved one in their house has a responsibility to be trained, armed, and capable of defending their loved ones ‘in extremis’. You may not want to do it, fine-it’s a free country, so be it, but don’t knock those who do. We do it because we feel a responsibility to our families, not for fun.
As for this case, locking the doors and firearms are poor substitutes for the ultimate kid protector. A *HUGE* dog. A massive German Shepherd is typically a teddy bear with kids, yet fiercely protective, and on guard 24/7. I have had dogs which would have caught this guy four feet inside the house, and probably left little more than a few red smudges, a little torn cloth, and a bone or two. Even a Yellow Lab is invaluble, if only as an early warning system. If you have a kid, get a dog. They will change your kid, for the better – no role model can ever serve to teach a child selflessness, unconditional love and devotion better than a dog. And though hopefully you’ll never need it, they could prove invaluble in a case like this.
I wonder how this dude knew the family, or choose his target.

I see what you’re saying, jmack, but I think it depends on the age of the child somewhat…if you shoot the person in the leg or something, they WILL drop the kid.  If it’s a toddler, as in this case, that may be ok because the kid has the motor skills to instinctively break the fall, but if it’s an infant, a hard drop to the pavement could kill them.  And there is still the possibility of missing your target and injuring the child.  It would be nice if all gun owners were well-trained, but unfortunately many aren’t.  A lot of people don’t have the patience to go to the gun range and practice.  As Athena has pointed out before, this is where you can really run into some problems.

Gun control is a tricky, contentious issue.  I don’t like seeing it framed as gun control advocates trying to “take everyone’s guns away,” because that is a highly disingenuous assessment (though I’m sure someone will produce another list of anecdotal “evidence” of this by choosing a few isolated examples over a 30-year period, as has been done before!)

Some gun-control advocates think no one should be allowed to own a gun, but most don’t come close to that.  I support more consistent, thorough backgroud checks, closing gun show loopholes, and a ban on assault weapons.  I would also like to see mandated training.  Some people may call this “nanny state” stuff, but sometimes the public good overrides those concerns, in my opinion.  Guns are deadly.  They have no other purpose than to maim and kill.  If you can’t be bothered to learn how to use one properly, you shouldn’t own one, as the chance of it ending up harming you or someone in your house is much greater in that case.

I would actually rather see more people get firearm training than less people having guns.   No plan is perfect.  My dad is a retired cop and his views on this are much the same as mine.