Guns And Katrina

The news reports on the Katrina aftermath were full of guns: The looters were stealing guns from stores. People were shooting at the rescue helicopters. New Orleans was dangerous because of all the guns.

But where were the stories about people who used guns to protect themselves from the criminals? It's been how long since Katrina? Three weeks? And this is the first story I've seen that shows the benefits of gun ownership for the general population. It describes the efforts of the Algiers section of New Orleans after the hurricane and flooding hit the city.

"The hurricane was a breeze compared with the crime and terror that followed," said Gregg Harris, a psychotherapist who lives in the battered area.

After the storm, the neighborhood association had to act as law enforcement and emergency response unit as city services collapsed and the police force was unable to protect them.

Citizens organized armed patrols and checked on the elderly. They slept on their porches with loaded shotguns and bolted awake when intruders stumbled on the aluminum cans they had scattered on the sidewalk.

"For five days we didn't need FEMA, the Red Cross or the National Guard," Harris said. "The neighborhood took care of itself."

What these Algiers residents did reminds me of the time when the "Night Stalker" (Richard Ramirez) was prowling the Los Angeles/Orange County area before his capture. We lived on a cul-de-sac near a freeway exit, and most of the attacks had happend close to the freeway. So four of the men in our neighborhood took shifts during the night for about a week, perching on the roof of their homes with their guns. One night, a pickup truck drove slowly around the street, and the man on duty called out to ask what their business was. The truck sped away.

We slept easy that week, and once Richard Ramirez was captured, the men of our neighborhood also slept well.

The residents of the Algiers area of New Orleans have already demonstrated the truth that the police cannot protect all of the people all of the time. The people need to look to their own defense, especially in disastrous times.

The bad guys win when the good guys are unarmed. But the picture changes completely when the good guys take up arms for their own defense and the defense of the otherwise-defenseless. Let's hope the good people of Texas are prepared to protect themselves and others after Rita comes through.