Ohio man kills carjacker

By Jim Irvine

WDKA News reports that earlier this week a man shot and killed a carjacker. He was driving away, but contrary to OSHP advice, that is not how he survived.

From the story:

Starr, 29, of Cambridge, said he saw a head in his rearview mirror as he drove away. "Then I saw the gun coming around," he said. The car was moving while the men fought, then it crashed into a ditch.

A steel rod was placed in Starr's thigh because the bullet broke his leg bone in half, he told The Columbus Dispatch from Grant Medical Center in Columbus.

There was no word on if the carjacker was carrying his gun in “plain sight” as the OSHP and Governor Taft insist all concealed handgun licensees do when in a vehicle. As the attacker was wanted for robbing a restaurant, he did not qualify for a license.

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This is an interesting story, because the victim, Starr was not armed. Against the odds, he struggled with his attacker, after being shot, while driving a car, and won. After taking the gun from his attacker, was he able to return fire, killing him. Most stories I read about an unarmed man trying to take a criminals gun end far worse than this one. Congratulations to Starr for winning this battle. He never quit.

It is further interesting, because the carjacker was inside the vehicle before the victim. So under Ohio law, if Starr had been CHL and was carrying, he is required to make sure his gun is in “plain sight” of his attacker to be legal. The OSHP claims this is for “safety” reasons, though no other law enforcement agency in the country agrees, and the OSHP has never advanced any evidence for their argument.

For some reason the Ohio Senate Republican leadership seems to agree with this twisted line of thinking, as they recessed for the summer and are now claiming will not consider passing HB347 until after the fall elections. If your Senator claims to support your self-defense rights, ask him/her why they will not vote on the good bill the House sent to the Senate on March 8 of this year.

This story also points to the need to pass HB541 and SB308, the self-defense modernization bills, sometimes referred to as “castle doctrine” or “victims bill of rights.” Twenty percent of the country has passed similar legislation in the past year, but once again, Ohio has a hard time keeping up with common sense improvements other states pass with almost unanimous consent of the legislature.

In Ohio, Starr could be arrested and prosecuted for defending his life from a man who carjacked him and then shot him in his own car. Even if found innocent of all charges, he could face civil lawsuits by the family of the man who tried to kill him. That is wrong.

There is no indication the OSHP did anything to help the victim, who did not have time to dial 911 while fighting for his life. The attacker had “arranged to meet a detective” at the location of the carjacking to turn himself in for a prior crime. I could not determine if the detective was late or shooting an unarmed man just seemed like a better way to spend the afternoon for this criminal.

As you start to enjoy this 4th of July weekend, and celebrate our Nations birth, remember that a minority of citizens favored the revolution, but they were armed, and they were right. A majority of Ohio citizens favor reforming Ohio’s firearms laws, and thanks to the wisdom of our founding fathers, we have the right to keep and bear arms.

It’s time to restore our rights, as the most of the country has been doing for the past twenty years. We are four months away from Election Day. If you see your Representative this weekend, thank them for their work in passing good legislation. If you see your Senator, tell them they need to follow suit. If you see Governor Taft, note that you are paying for his armed protection while he continues to work to deny you your basic rights. In November we elect his replacement.

Please click here to volunteer to help Buckeye Firearms elect legislators who want to restore your rights.