Why Do You Need a Gun? You Can Just Call 911...

Because sometimes they don't care that your violent ex is kicking in your door after threatening to kill you...

911 call reveals last moments of woman's life; case prompted array of changes by Dallas police

DALLAS – A television station has broadcast a leaked copy of a terrified woman's call to 911 last summer just before she was killed in a case that has prompted widespread changes in the way police respond to reported domestic disturbances. 

The lack of urgency by police to 32-year-old Deanna Cook's Aug. 17 call caused a public outcry and led to the punishment of dispatchers and the review of police procedures.

While she begged for her life, the 911 dispatcher was on the line. The dispatcher did not relay the urgency to the responding police officers, who took over an hour to reach the residence. They didn't find anything out of the ordinary, so they left, only to come back a few days later for a wellness check at the request of the family. The operator who failed to pass on the urgency of the request to responding officers was suspended.

Boy, it's too bad she didn't have a double barrel shotgun she could fire into the air, right Uncle Joe?

So, let's recap. This woman had an abusive husband. There had been repeated 911 calls regarding him and violent behavior. The call comes in, she can be heard pleading with another person, and yet this still isn't given priority. Woman with a violent ex, repeated calls, no urgency relayed. Responding officers show up when they're in the area nearly an hour later - and leave. Now, maybe she was still alive at that point. Maybe she was dead seconds after the call was completed.

The fact is, she relied on 911 and she died. If she'd relied on 1911, she might still be dead, true, but she'd certainly have done no worse than what happened. Maybe she'd have had a fighting chance. Instead, she relied on the system that the forces against freedom tell us we should use rather than owning guns, and she paid a steep price for delegating responsibility for her own safety to others. I don't mean to bash 911 or dispatchers in general here; it's just a reaction to the concept that I should rely on a stranger miles away when someone is threatening me or mine to which I object.

You are your own first responder. I don't know why this concept is so hard for people to grasp. No one bats an eye at the thought of having a fire extinguisher in their house - it's common sense that if a small, manageable fire breaks out, having the tools to quickly and effectively battle that fire handy prevents massive loss later. It certainly doesn't mean you want to pretend you're a firefighter. Ditto having a good first aid kit - if something happens, even in the best circumstance help is going to be a few minutes away, and having tools to handle minor medical emergencies is part of a good safety net. It doesn't you think you're an EMT or a doctor.

Yet you mention having a firearm for self-defense and all of a sudden you're a vigilante or a cop wanna-be. I have yet to have anyone on the anti-freedom side explain to me why having a firearm handy in case of a violent encounter is any different than having a fire extinguisher in case of fire or a first aid kit in case of accident. The fiream is a tool for a specific scenario; it is not a magic talisman to prevent violent encounters from happening but to assist you in surviving the encounter with - ideally - minimal injury to yourself.

Why do we treat self-defense as less important than fire safety or first aid?

That is all.