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2008/6/9-12 [Politics/Domestic, Politics/Domestic/Crime] UID:50204 Activity:kinda low |
6/9 i bet this grandma open carries http://www.ocnus.net/artman2/publish/Dark_Side_4/The_Rambo_Granny_of_Melbourne_Australia.shtml \_ "her granddaughter, Debbie, was car-jacked and raped in broad daylight by two knife-wielding creeps in a section of town bordering on skid row." It's a shame the granddaughter couldn't have killed them when they attacked her. Wait, I thought handguns were outlawed in Australia? How'd this granny have one? And is that why the thugs attacked with a knife? Shouldn't I be safe in the middle of the day? Indeed, the law seems a bit out of touch with the people: "What she did was wrong, and she broke the law, but it is difficult to throw an 81-year-old woman in prison, Det. Delp said -- especially when 3 million people in the city want to nominate her for Mayor." -emarkp \_ [my comment deleted, since this story is an urban legend] -emarkp \_ It's in the article, She didn't turn in the gun when the law changed. \_ The rest of the story: \_ Welcome to Urban Legends: http://www.snopes.com/crime/justice/grambo.asp \_ As opposed to this one, who has a concealed carry permit. And actually exists: http://csua.org/u/lqf (SFgate) |
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www.ocnus.net/artman2/publish/Dark_Side_4/The_Rambo_Granny_of_Melbourne_Australia.shtml Printer friendly page Gun-toting granny Ava Estelle, 81, was so ticked off when two thugs raped her 18-year-old granddaughter that she tracked the unsuspecting ex-cons down ... The old lady spent a week hunting them down and when she found them, she took revenge on them in her own special way, said Melbourne Police investigator, Evan Delp. Then she took a taxi to the nearest police station, laid the gun on the sergeant's desk and told him as calm as could be: "Those bastards will never rape anybody again, by God." Cops say convicted rapist and robber Davis Furth, 33, lost both his penis and his testicles, when outraged Ava opened fire with a 9-mm pistol in the hotel room, where he and former prison cell mate Stanley Thomas, 29, were holed up. The wrinkled avenger also blew Thomas' testicles to kingdom come, but doctors managed to save his mangled penis, police said. Thomas, didn't lose his manhood, but the doctor I talked to said he won't be using it the way he used to, Detective Delp told reporters. Both men are still in pretty bad shape, but I think they're just happy to be alive after what they've been through. The Rambo granny swung into action on 21st August after her granddaughter, Debbie, was car-jacked and raped in broad daylight by two knife-wielding creeps in a section of town bordering on skid row. "When I saw the look on Debbie's face that night in hospital, I decided I was going to go out and get those bastards myself -- 'cause I figured the law would go easy on them, recalled the retired library worker. "I wasn't scared of them either, because I had my gun and I've been shooting all my life. And I wasn't dumb enough to turn it in when the law changed about owning one". So, using a police artist's sketch of the suspects and Debbie's description of the sickos, tough-as-nails Ava spent seven days prowling the wino-infested neighbourhood where the crime took place till she spotted the ill-fated rapists entering their flophouse hotel . I knew it was them the minute I saw 'em, but I shot a picture of 'em anyway and took it back to Debbie and she said sure as hell, it was them, the oldster recalled . So I went back to that hotel and found their room and knocked on the door and the minute the big one opened the door, I shot 'im right square between the legs, right where it would really hurt most, you know. Then I went in and shot the other one as he backed up pleading to me to spare him. Then I went down to the police station and turned myself in. Now, baffled lawmen are trying to figure out exactly how to deal with the vigilante granny. What she did was wrong, and she broke the law, but it is difficult to throw an 81-year-old woman in prison, Det. Delp said -- especially when 3 million people in the city want to nominate her for Mayor. |
www.snopes.com/crime/justice/grambo.asp MELBOURNE, Australia Gun-toting granny Ava Estelle, 81, was so ticked-off when two thugs raped her 18-year-old granddaughter that she tracked the unsuspecting ex-cons down -- and shot their testicles off! "The old lady spent a week hunting those bums down -- and when she found them, she took revenge on them in her own special way," said admiring Melbourne police investigator Evan Delp. The wrinkled avenger also blew Thomas' testicles to kingdom come, but doctors managed to save his mangled penis, police said. "The one guy, Thomas, didn't lose his manhood, but the doctor I talked to said he won't be using it the way he used to," Detective Delp told reporters. "Both men are still in pretty bad shape, but I think they're just happy to be alive after what they've been through." The Rambo Granny swung into action August 21 after her granddaughter Debbie was carjacked and raped by two knife-wielding creeps in a section of town bordering on skid row. "When I saw the look on my Debbie's face that night in the hospital, I decided I was going to go out and get those bastards myself 'cause I figured the police would go easy on them," recalled the retired library worker. "And I wasn't scared of them, either -- because I've got me a gun and I've been shootin' it all my life." So, using a police artist's sketch of the suspects and Debbie's description of the sickos' car, tough-as-nails Ava spent seven days prowling the wino-infested neighborhood where the crime took place till she spotted the ill-fated rapists entering their flophouse hotel. "I knew it was them the minute I saw 'em, but I shot a picture of 'em anyway and took it back to Debbie and she said sure as hell, it was them," the ornery oldster recalled. "So I went back to that hotel and found their room and knocked on the door -- and the minute the big one, Furth, opened the door, I shot 'em, got right square between the legs, right where it would really hurt 'em most, you know. Then I went down to the police station and turned myself in." Now, baffled lawmen are tying to figure out how to deal with the vigilante granny. "What she did was wrong, but you can't really throw an 81-year-old woman in prison." Delp said, "especially when all 3 million people in the city want to nominate her for sainthood." Origins: Sorry, but this February 2000 e-mail is a fanciful tale of imagined revenge and nothing more -- searches of Australian news archives fail to turn up news stories featuring any of the people named in the account, reports about the shootings of the rapists, or the rape that supposedly sparked the retribution. Those living in the area also fail to recall seeing anything about this on the nightly news. Regrettably, Grambo exists only in our hearts and inboxes. But really, could anyone honestly swallow a tale of vigilante justice in which the police spokesman is characterized as "admiring" of someone who turned a firearm on two others? As righteous as a cause might be, the moment a crime victim or one of her sympathizers takes matters into her own hands, that person becomes a criminal engaged in illegal activity. Police would not be "baffled" about what to do with such a person -- an arrest would be made and charges laid. A "bum" Down Under is the body part one sits upon -- in that dialect, the term does not enjoy the diversity of meaning it does in North American slang. Moreover, the various phrasings attributed to Ava Estelle would never drop from the lips of an Australian (unless she'd spent her life chained to a rock in the Ozarks). In a world populated by bad guys seemingly always getting away with one horrible act after another, we need to believe that at least someone somewhere stood up to the wrongs, took matters into her own hands, and dealt out some much-needed justice, even if it was of the street variety. Popular culture is filled with instances of the wronged being denied protection by the authorities and having to right the world on their own because that theme plays into both what we hold as true deep in our hearts (criminals escape justice through legal loopholes) and what we wish for (justice being meted out to these miscreants anyway). It's no accident that this work of fiction features two adult male rapists (which one immediately pictures as strong, overpowering creeps), a teenage girl victim, and a frail little old lady of 81 years (a retired library worker, at that). The contrast makes for a more thrilling tale, and the cheers over David toppling Goliath become louder and more enthusiastic. |
csua.org/u/lqf -> www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/06/09/national/a125942D22.DTL&tsp=1 Georgia (default) Verdana Times New Roman Arial (06-09) 18:24 PDT Columbia, SC (AP) -- A 4-year-old girl shot herself in the chest Monday after snatching her grandmother's handgun from the woman's purse while riding in a shopping cart at a Sam's Club store, authorities said. A witness, Lueen Homewood, said store workers grabbed first-aid materials off store shelves to help the grandmother as she cradled the wounded child near the store's pharmacy, The (Columbia) State newspaper reported on its Web site. The girl was rushed to a hospital in critical condition and was recovering Monday afternoon after surgery, said police department spokesman Brick Lewis. Hospital officials would not release her condition after the operation. Lewis said the grandmother, Donna Hutto Williamson, has a permit to carry a concealed weapon and the purse containing the small-caliber handgun was in the cart near the child. The 47-year-old Williamson, of Salley, was not immediately charged with a crime. Williamson, a South Carolina magistrate, was distraught after the shooting, her mother-in-law said. "The grandmother is just beating herself up," said Inease Williamson, 68. Officials said the shooting, which was captured on store surveillance cameras, appeared to be accidental. The store was closed while police investigated the shooting. "Everyone at Sam's Club is deeply saddened by today's tragedy," Tara Stewart, state spokeswoman for Wal-Mart and Sam's Club, said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the little girl and her family." Concealed weapons permit holders in South Carolina are not allowed to carry weapons into buildings that prohibit it, or into government buildings, schools and daycare facilities, among other places. The Sam's Club store does not have a sign prohibiting guns inside. |