And Then There Was The Time A Gun Helped Catch A Hit-And-Run Driver

I think @SonarJose, who sent this link my way this morning, put it best: “When issues collide … (no pun intended).” No pun even detected as I’m 1) anti hit-and-run and 2) pro gun-control but not to the point that I think they should be outright banned. Nope. What John Avery II did with his gun in Jacksonville is to be celebrated and, dare I say, emulated globally.

When John Avery II saw a pickup truck fleeing after hitting a pedestrian at a Jacksonville intersection Wednesday night, he wasn’t just going to let the motorist get away.

“I thought he had actually killed the guy.” Avery said Thursday. “I just felt there was no way in the world that he should be able to drive away from an accident where somebody died.”

Avery, 44, followed the truck to a nearby parking lot and used his gun to apprehend the driver, holding him until police arrived. …

The driver got out of the truck and was beginning to run away, Avery said, when he stopped him at gunpoint. He said he ordered the man to lie down on the ground.

“He was somewhat hesitant at first, and then he decided he would lay on the ground,” Avery said.

Avery said he and Gibson then physically constrained the man and waited for police to arrive.

He said he had been on the phone with a 911 operator throughout the incident and had informed him that he had a weapon.

The man then resisted several officers who eventually tucked him away into a patrol car, Avery said. He said he later told the officers what he did.

As for the legal implications for his decision to use his gun, Avery said, “I did what I thought was best in the situation.”

Avery said he has a concealed weapons permit.

“Everybody has to make a decision,” he said. “That’s the decision I made at the time.”

Bravo, Avery. And if they try to jam you up, I’ll raise holy hell from afar.

Man who held suspected hit-and-run driver at gunpoint describes that night [Jacksonville.com]