January 8, 1990, Col. Supenski testified as an expert witness in a case brought by Marylanders Against Handgun Abuse[…]Supenski stated that his objection to a particular .38 caliber revolver was based upon the need to remove the cylinder to reload the firearm:
‘[It is difficult] to rapidly reload this weapon…. You’ve got six shots and that is it. . . . The homeowner always has to contemplate the possibility of reloading, and one of the reasons for that is the law requires you to retreat. Retreat to the point in your home where you no longer can retreat, and then you can stand your ground.
Eighty percent of those [knock and rob entries of occupied homes] involve more than [one] individual. So the possibility of needing to reload rapidly and quickly is always present.’
FIE’s attorney suggested during cross-examination that if reloading was so essential, ‘the best weapon to have would be an assault rifle with a 30-round magazine.’ Not wanting to be on record as justifying the ownership of AK-47’s, Supenski replied that ‘no, the best weapon to have if you must have a weapon, is a shotgun.’
The man officially in charge of crime prevention in Baltimore County, after discussing how you or I must be prepared to face a gang of hoods bursting into our living rooms at any moment, seems to think that private firearms ownership is an ‘if you must’ option–nice to have but not a necessity.
Baltimore County residents now know that their police administrators believe six shots is too few and 15 shots is too many for civilians to have available to protect their loved ones. But when the police are allowed to choose their own guns, magazine capacity is a big selling point. ‘More’ almost always equals ‘better.’
…Gun Owners of America Executive Director, Larry Pratt, knows all too well what goes through a citizen’s mind during a time of danger. Pratt often reminds politicians that he learned the importance of individual gun ownership during the 1968 riots in Washington, D.C. As a man with a wife and young family, he had every reason to fear for their safety in a situation well beyond the capabilities of the local police.”
We’re not all about sports here. I mean we’re talking about self-defence.
[…] I certainly would want that kind of fire power if I needed it in a situation where someone was trying to kill me…
I have been in that kind of a situation – I helped save a man’s life in the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles and I know exactly what that kind of a situation is.
I have had people come after me with a gun after I helped the police. And I have used a gun in a situation – I didn’t have to fire it but I certainly had it in order to save a person’s life.”
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