TN:16-Year-old Girl has Gun Snatched after She Stops Burglary

Gun Watch ^ | 2 August, 2013 | Dean Weingarten

[marktwain]

An unusual case in Tennessee shows the utility of guns for home defense, as well as the danger of pursuing criminals alone.  A 16-year-old girl used her mothers pistol to prevent a criminal from entering the house. From  WKRN:

Harvell eventually tried entering through one of the home's windows, that's when Davasha Chambers, 16, grabbed her mother's pistol and pointed it at him as he was halfway through the window. 

 The criminal left, and then is when the young woman made a tactical error.  She not only pursued the home invader, but she allowed him to get too close to her with the following result.

 While outside, Harvell snatched the gun and Chamber's cell phone from her and took off in a car.

"He took the gun pointed it at us and told us to get in the house," Chambers recalled. 

 Fortunately, the burglar did not shoot the brave girl.  Criminals are at a disadvantage because they do not know if or when the police will arrive, and the entire weight of the criminal justice system is against them if they commit murder.   A citizen, however, in most states, has the law in their favor if they are acting in defense of self or home.

It is very rare that a criminal snatches a gun from a home defender, but it does happen.  It is even more rare that a criminal actually shoots the defender with their own gun.   It appears to be much more common for the innocent citizen to snatch a gun from a criminal and shoot them with it.

In this case, the police captured the criminal a short time later and recovered the pistol and the cell phone.  Harvell has a long criminal history at age 21.


 ©2013 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.

Link to Gun Watch

[marktwain]

It is a common mistake to get too close to someone who is held at gun point. Action beats reaction, so the first to decide to act has the advantage.

[NonValueAdded]

The young lady needs to study Tuco’s Law.

[KarlInOhio]

It's a sad commentary that when I first saw the headline "TN:16-Year-old Girl has Gun Snatched after She Stops Burglary", I thought that the gun had been snatched by the police as part of the investigation/post burglary retribution and that her parents better buy her a new one.

I didn't even consider the idea of the burglar snatching it.

[marktwain]

I have used Tuco’s example numerous times in my classes. Movie examples work well, because most people have seen them.

[marktwain]

“I didn’t even consider the idea of the burglar snatching it.”

It is very rare. I read of it happening every few years. I read of victims snatching guns from criminals and using it on them several times a year.

[BitWielder1]

She also needs to understand gun laws.
Shoot an invader in your home - good.
Run after an invader and (attempt to) shoot or threaten him - not good.
It's much harder to claim self defense in the second case.
Not impossible but it's a much steeper uphill battle and outcome far from certain.
Especially if you're 16 and not supposed to have unsupervised access to guns at all.

[EEGator]

I always wondered what happened to Arsenio Hall.

[marktwain]

“Especially if you’re 16 and not supposed to have unsupervised access to guns at all.”

I do not believe that is the case in Tennessee.

However, there is a federal law that requires that you have written parental approval to have a pistol in your possession if you are under the age of 18.

I bet Eric Holder will not prosecute the parent(s) of this girl for violation of that law.

[IYAS9YAS]

I didn't even consider the idea of the burglar snatching it.

Same here.

[rarestia]

I bet Eric Holder will not prosecute the parent(s) of this girl for violation of that law.

Because she's black?

[Wally_Kalbacken]

Davasha Chambers, 16, grabbed her mother's pistol and pointed it at him as he was halfway through the window...

Feets don' fail me now!

[Sioux-san]

Not to be nitpicky, but how is this guy a burglar when people are in the house and threatened? Once this idiot knew people were in the house and proceeded to enter, doesn’t that make him a “robber?”

[SampleMan]

Presuming she didn’t go outside with the gun holstered, she had it taken away because she was unwilling to pull the trigger. Joe Biden tactics don’t work.

[IYAS9YAS]

Not to be nitpicky, but how is this guy a burglar when people are in the house and threatened? Once this idiot knew people were in the house and proceeded to enter, doesn’t that make him a “robber?”

Yes, Robber would be correct.

[marktwain]

“Not to be nitpicky, but how is this guy a burglar when people are in the house and threatened? Once this idiot knew people were in the house and proceeded to enter, doesn’t that make him a “robber?”

You are correct.

[Secret Agent Man]

citizens have the law on their side in defense of home or self...

tell that to george zimmerman.

[marktwain]

“citizens have the law on their side in defense of home or self...

tell that to george zimmerman.”

It is true that you always have to worry about political prosecutions (persecutions). It is also true that he was acquitted.

[SWAMPSNIPER]

21 feet!

[SWAMPSNIPER]

There was once a time when offering American citizens as sacrifices to the mob was unthinkable.

On another forum a businessman from Sanford Florida tried to convince me that arresting George Zimmerman, no matter how it was done, was a noble act because they didn't want a "mini L.A". This guy obviously sees himself as a good citizen, a pillar of the community, but he is really a gutless mewling coward and I wouldn't trust him further than I can spit.

[SWAMPSNIPER]

He was saved by a crapshoot, and the grace of God's hand on the dice. Please don't get all confident because of the acquittal.

George still has a price on his head, and the mob still wants to burn Sanford to the ground.

I suspect that some Sanford city commissioners would shoot George Zimmerman if the mob threatened to break their windows.