I’m Surprised

I read a short wire service story about this incident a couple of days ago but didn't post about it. The New York Times has covered it in quite a lot more detail and surprisingly does not take its normal editorial slant on the issue of guns. The incident involved a 56 year old woman in a wheelchair who was attacked by a mugger. She pulled out a licensed .357 magnum revolver and shot the man.

As muggings go, it began like many others. A 56-year-old woman was leaving her building in her wheelchair, her only company the small dog perched on her lap.

Her attacker came from behind, the police said, and there was no one else around. But this attempted robbery had an ending unlike many others. As it turns out, the would-be victim, Margaret Johnson, has a permit to carry a .357 handgun — and she carries it often.

The mugging ended seconds after it began, the police said, when Ms. Johnson pulled out her gun and shot her attacker in his arm. Last night, the man accused of the attempted mugging, Deron Johnson, 45, was in stable condition at Harlem Hospital Center with a gunshot wound to his elbow, the police said. He was under protective custody and is facing a robbery charge, the police said.

Apparently, robberies have been on the increase in the area. I would venture a guess that they will decline for a while. Kudos to the Times for a change. They didn't get on a soapbox about guns. The police have no plans to charge the woman.