Afraid of Our Shadow

The recent trial of OKC pharmacist Jerome Ersland has stirred up a tremendous amount of controversy. It is almost surreal that something like that could even happen. He was found guilty of first degree murder for daring to cross an invisible line and to go farther than a jury thought was acceptable and to use deadly force. Many who saw the video said that he went way over the line by going back and getting another gun and making sure that the robber was dead. I think the issue is what amount of deadly force is acceptable when there is a deadly assailant involved. The fact of the matter is that Jerome Ersland was being robbed by an armed intruder and evidently had been robbed before. It just came to the point where he had enough. I think a question we have to ask ourselves is what we would do in the same situation.

I think there is a percentage of our society who would put up their hands and beg for their life and give the robber whatever he wanted. If you have been paying any attention to Don Armes over the years, you know that I do not fit into that category. I go back to my school teaching experiences when kids would get into fights in the hallway or somewhere on the school grounds. Many times over the years I have had to pull a couple of knuckle heads apart who decided to square off. I can tell you that even though that pales in comparison to the fear that would come from an armed robbery, your adrenaline kicks into high gear. I think you go into some kind of self-preservation mode and teachers are always at risk when they go into that situation, not only of personal harm but also of being reprimanded if in the process of pulling students apart to break up a fight, you jerk an earring out of some little dumplin’. I was always taught by older, wiser teachers never to run to a fight but in an armed robbery, you do not have that option. It comes to you very quickly and the fight or flight instinct is automatic. It is hard to tell what action can be spurred from fear and it is hard to know when that adrenaline is pumping. I feel like in Jerome Ersland’s case, he was pretty hyped up, was sick of being a victim, and just got to that point of “you know what, that is enough”. Once he shot the robber, it stopped him and all agree that was probably enough. But again, we are talking about a business man who had been robbed many times before. He drew a line in the sand that day and yes, that young robber caught the full force of a victim’s fury but dead is dead. It is a sad day for America when a guy can get first degree murder for shooting a robber “too much” but that is exactly what we are dealing with. I think any home owner or business owner has the fundamental right to defend their property and their life from some jackwagon with a gun. It seems pretty basic to me. Mr. Ersland may have gone a little overboard but somewhere in here we run the risk of turning this poor innocent little robber into the hero or some kind of a twisted Robin Hood and I think it is wrong. I wish that kid had made better choices through his life because he did not need to die. But when you pick up a gun, walk into a business and point that gun at someone, it is too late. The guy across that counter may be willing to take your life to protect his employees or his hard earned money. You take the chance of losing your life when you make that decision.

From what I am reading and hearing from the news, there is a petition circulating around the state to ask the Governor to pardon Jerome Ersland. The fact that the question even has to be asked is a pretty scary thing. Unfortunately, here we are once again, afraid of our shadows. Afraid to stand up and say “that’s just wrong”. I know a bunch of you are gonna read this and jump on me. That’s okay because if nothing else, I hope I made you stop and think.

If you would like to contact me while I am at the capitol, please do not hesitate to send an email to donarmes@house.gov or call me at 1-800-522-8502.

And here’s a little something to think about as you go down the road:

“Among the natural rights of the colonists are these: First a right to life, secondly to liberty, and thirdly to property; together with the right to defend them in the best manner they can”. –Samuel Adams