We are approaching the 20th anniversary of a shooting that effected my life a great deal. Vern Smalley shot and killed Carmen Tagliere III after an altercation due to a Road Rage incident. With all of the talk of gun control recently I have been thinking about this issue for some time, and the events that took place back in 1993 crept back into my memory after many years of dormancy.
The original newspaper article is here.
I found a post on this site from Mr. Smalley where he outlined his defense for all to see. In one regard I admire the man for addressing the issue and offering his side of things. In another regard, the victim of his actions is no longer alive to offer a counter argument. As it stands, Mr. Smalley was acquitted of all charges.
One statement which encompasses the entire issue of the events of that day is the Mr. Smalley made a mistake. He never should have stopped his vehicle. He was in no position to "teach a lesson" to an enraged teenager, and I will offer my respect that he acknowledged that fact. What was not realized by many is the severity of that mistake.
You did not spill a glass of milk sir. You killed another human being. This other human being was unarmed. I concede your actions were made in self defense, but you should have never put yourself in that position in the first place. You are not a superhero, nor were you the father to a boy that needed guidance. Your background and achievements should have prepared you to make a more mature decision. Instead you offered your guidance in the form of a slug to the chest.
I am not a legal expert, so I suppose the question here is a philosophical one. If you willingly enter a dangerous situation with the intention of having to defend yourself with lethal force, does that constitute self defense?
I am completely in favor of the second amendment and I believe in the value of self protection in the form of firearms. What I am not in favor of is allowing the firearm to become an extension of your ego. Mr. Smalley may have made a much different choice had he not been carrying a handgun that day. Instead he was comforted by his choice of protection and made the conscious decision to enter into a violent confrontation.
I find it hard to swallow the fact that this willing participant received no punishment for his conduct. He stated that he was unable to contact the authorities because of the lack of technology. Unfortunately some of us grew up in Colorado Springs, and we know the area quite well.
What Mr. Smalley will not divulge is that he was within a mile of the gate to the air force base. There is ALWAYS military personnel at the gate, and they have access to telephones. The victim was driving back to his high school which was on the base and they easily could have handled the situation. Mr. Smalley had no business taking matters into his own hands. The result of this is the loss of a young life.
Many people applauded the actions of Mr. Smalley that day. He defended himself as any good gun owner should. Unfortunately this incident did not have to happen, and I am certain there are other situations similar to this one. I hope other gun owners can manage their egos better than he did and avoid confrontation as opposed to rushing in with guns blazing.
It seems a few gun owners simply have itchy trigger fingers. They not only expect to use their weapons, the actively seek situations in which to do so. Right now the situation is quite delicate and we do not need any more rouge vigalantes out there giving weight to the issue of more or stricter gun control.
As responsible firearms enthusiasts, we need to use our heads, not our arms.
Yes, as a responsible gun owner you should be willing to protect themselves and others with lethal force. Yes, you should be able to do so without infringement on your rights. My hope is that you will only use this power as an absolute last resort. Not all confrontations have to end in tragedy.
As for Mr. Smalley, I have forgiven you for what happened that day. Just know that it was not just one life that was taken because of your mistake. The ripples of that day spread very far, and damaged people in ways no one can comprehend. The pain exists still, even 20 years later.
R.I.P Carmen Tagliere III
Aug. 5, 1975 - Apr. 21, 1993
The original newspaper article is here.
I found a post on this site from Mr. Smalley where he outlined his defense for all to see. In one regard I admire the man for addressing the issue and offering his side of things. In another regard, the victim of his actions is no longer alive to offer a counter argument. As it stands, Mr. Smalley was acquitted of all charges.
One statement which encompasses the entire issue of the events of that day is the Mr. Smalley made a mistake. He never should have stopped his vehicle. He was in no position to "teach a lesson" to an enraged teenager, and I will offer my respect that he acknowledged that fact. What was not realized by many is the severity of that mistake.
You did not spill a glass of milk sir. You killed another human being. This other human being was unarmed. I concede your actions were made in self defense, but you should have never put yourself in that position in the first place. You are not a superhero, nor were you the father to a boy that needed guidance. Your background and achievements should have prepared you to make a more mature decision. Instead you offered your guidance in the form of a slug to the chest.
I am not a legal expert, so I suppose the question here is a philosophical one. If you willingly enter a dangerous situation with the intention of having to defend yourself with lethal force, does that constitute self defense?
I am completely in favor of the second amendment and I believe in the value of self protection in the form of firearms. What I am not in favor of is allowing the firearm to become an extension of your ego. Mr. Smalley may have made a much different choice had he not been carrying a handgun that day. Instead he was comforted by his choice of protection and made the conscious decision to enter into a violent confrontation.
I find it hard to swallow the fact that this willing participant received no punishment for his conduct. He stated that he was unable to contact the authorities because of the lack of technology. Unfortunately some of us grew up in Colorado Springs, and we know the area quite well.
What Mr. Smalley will not divulge is that he was within a mile of the gate to the air force base. There is ALWAYS military personnel at the gate, and they have access to telephones. The victim was driving back to his high school which was on the base and they easily could have handled the situation. Mr. Smalley had no business taking matters into his own hands. The result of this is the loss of a young life.
Many people applauded the actions of Mr. Smalley that day. He defended himself as any good gun owner should. Unfortunately this incident did not have to happen, and I am certain there are other situations similar to this one. I hope other gun owners can manage their egos better than he did and avoid confrontation as opposed to rushing in with guns blazing.
It seems a few gun owners simply have itchy trigger fingers. They not only expect to use their weapons, the actively seek situations in which to do so. Right now the situation is quite delicate and we do not need any more rouge vigalantes out there giving weight to the issue of more or stricter gun control.
As responsible firearms enthusiasts, we need to use our heads, not our arms.
Yes, as a responsible gun owner you should be willing to protect themselves and others with lethal force. Yes, you should be able to do so without infringement on your rights. My hope is that you will only use this power as an absolute last resort. Not all confrontations have to end in tragedy.
As for Mr. Smalley, I have forgiven you for what happened that day. Just know that it was not just one life that was taken because of your mistake. The ripples of that day spread very far, and damaged people in ways no one can comprehend. The pain exists still, even 20 years later.
R.I.P Carmen Tagliere III
Aug. 5, 1975 - Apr. 21, 1993