Citizens should be prepared to legally defend themselves

“No one necessarily wants to use a firearm to take a life or seriously wound someone, but a decision will have to be made whether you will accept being a victim, or whether you will take what steps are needed to protect yourself,” said Daleville Department of Public Safety Director Harvey Mathis when asked his stance on encouraging law-abiding citizens to arm themselves.

Law enforcement officials from across the country—small towns to large cities, rural counties to urban counties—have increasingly come forward to openly support and encourage citizens to arm themselves. Recently, Geneva County Sheriff Tony Helms issued a statement to that effect.

“Today we live in a troubling world. A world where the majority of our elected officials are too busy making decisions for us without asking us what we want,” said Helms. “We have taken God out of our lives and are more worried about what is politically correct than what is morally right.

“We aren’t in Mayberry anymore. Andy Griffith’s time has passed… If you take into account all full time certified Law Enforcement officers; state, county and city in this county, it would equal to one officer for about 550 people. The officers are never all on duty at the same time so most of the time it is one per every 1,000…. I urge all law abiding citizens, if you can lawfully carry a weapon, do so. Do not allow you or someone you love to become a victim. I believe all good law abiding citizens should have a firearm, ammunition and be proficient in its use.”

For the most part, Mathis agrees with Helms’ statement.

“I whole-heartedly support the Second Amendment, and the rights of citizens to arm themselves. I have also urged citizens that have armed themselves to become familiar with their firearms and to be familiar with 13A-3-23 of the Code of Alabama,” said Mathis.

That particular code deals with use of force in defense of a person. Briefly, it states, “A person is justified in using physical force upon another person in order to defend himself or a third person from what he reasonably believes to be the use or imminent use of unlawful physical force by that other person, and he may use a degree of force which he reasonably believes to be necessary for the purpose…a person is not justified in using deadly physical force upon another person if it reasonably appears or he knows that he can avoid the necessity of using such force with complete safety…”

Mathis said, “The Second Amendment gives us rights not available in all countries of the world. We just need to ensure we lawfully exercise our rights. And I do believe all homeowners should be prepared to defend themselves when they feel they are in danger of being harmed or losing their lives.”

Citizens need to feel safe in their homes, the chief said, and also be able to protect their loved ones and the belongings that they work hard to have, even if there is a local law enforcement agency readily available. He notes time restraints and available manpower as two of many reasons.

“Most people work very hard to attain the belongings we have, and want to feel safe in our homes as we relax or sleep,” said Chief Mathis. “However, there are predatory persons who have complete disregard for the law and our personal safety. Law enforcement will always strive to provide the best protection we possibly can. However, in the time we take to respond, bad things can happen. At times the acts of predatory persons can be thwarted by an armed citizen.”

Mathis related a case he worked while employed with the Dale County Sheriff’s department in which a homeowner had to use deadly force on a threatening intruder. “The person shot had previously served prison time and was out on bond for other felony charges when he made his fateful decision to make that home invasion. The homeowner was afraid at that time he was going to jail.

“I assured him, he had every right to self-defense, and I would have also most assuredly did the same action as him. I would prefer to work the case where someone who is committing a home invasion is injured or killed versus a case where a law-abiding citizen is injured or killed during a home invasion.”

That being said, Mathis cautions that all gun owners should “be completely familiar with the weapon they have. They should ensure that young children do not have access to these firearms… Knowing that in these situations, the predatory person has to know there is a possibility of anyone being armed, but completely disregard that. At that point, your life or wellbeing is not a consideration to that predator. Their intent is to wreak total fear and domination of you while they seek to carry out the acts they have chosen.”

Mathis said his department will always do its best to protect its citizens, but citizen preparation must be taken seriously. “Again, the police department will always strive to get there as quickly as possible and take whatever measures we need to protect our citizens from harm. But we can never guarantee we will be there the exact moment you need us most. My suggestion is be prepared for the worst and pray for the best.”