Quote:
Originally Posted by fingpilot
I know there are a couple of Pelicans in SA. Maybe they could chime in.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by john70t
^^^this
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I live in South Africa, and can assure you that living here is "interesting" at best.
There is a lot of crime, and more often than not the crime is associated with unbelievable levels of brutality and violence (violent farm murders are for instance a terrible reality which you should not Google if you don't have a very strong stomach).
It is however not quite what fingpilot has described, and that level of preparedness and security is more than a bit over the top. If anything it invites trouble.
The reality is that you have to be prepared for "eventualities" around here. For this reason most houses have alarm systems connected to rapid response armed guards, and are surrounded by high walls and electric fences. The more wealthy the suburb the higher the fences, and in the wealthiest of neighborhoods you will find 24-hour armed guards at many houses. Most windows have burglar bars, and most doors have steel security gates. Many people are armed - some lightly, some to the teeth.
Some will tell you that where they live this is not the case, but they will either be lying, in denial, or stop short of telling you that they live in an enclosed suburb with access control, which when asked they will invariably attribute to "privacy", which of course is basically lying...
For myself, I have high walls, electric fences, burglar proofing, guards on call and a gun. Yes, I have used my gun to defend myself, but no, I didn't shoot at an unseen assailant. I have, as several of my friends and family, suffered violent crime. I have had a friend murdered (shot several times with an AK47) and mutilated (a handgun emptied into his face while he was bleeding out on the ground) for no reason other than the keys to an everyday family car.
My brother nearly suffered the same fate but his life was saved by a man who shot and killed without taking the time to ask questions. It is a South African reality that influences how quickly and violently we react to threats.
In the past two or three years there were quite a few similar cases to that of Oscar, but without all the media hype. In two of the most high profile cases you had two fathers that had accidentally shot and killed their children under very similar circumstances. One shot his daughter through a door while his house was under attach from heavily armed robbers, and the other his daughter when he thought someone was burglarizing his car at night. Both incidentally escaped prison when due consideration was given to the circumstances which included the prevalence of violent crime.
With all of this in mind I honestly don't know how I would have reacted under the circumstances that it is alleged Oscar faced. I would hope that I would have checked on my wife first, but before this case I might possibly not have thought to do that. I do however know that I am not quite the trigger happy, arrogant, infantile cowboy Oscar has been shown to be, and would therefore have hopefully taken the time to think things over before doing the irreversible.
As for Oscar;
I think he does deserve the 10-15 years that he will probably be getting for the shooting. Though premeditated murder cannot be proven, it is abundantly clear that he was irresponsible, arrogant, and to my mind just too excited about the prospect of taking a life. In fact, I think he was inspired by the "bragging rights" that might have come with killing an intruder. He was a shooting incident waiting to happen, and it is sad that when it happened a young innocent person ended up dead.