...in a case like this?
CLEVELAND - A man suspected of killing his newlywed wife, his sister-in-law and three young children killed himself Friday after police forced their way into the home he had fled to and found him hiding in the bathroom, authorities said.
...
Crawford has convicted in 1995 of voluntary manslaughter, according to prison records. He was released from prison in 2000 and sent back in 2002 on a felonious assault conviction involving domestic violence, according to prison records. He was freed again in 2007.
The guy was obviously dangerous, as indicated by his criminal record. Yet he was still walking the streets, free as a bird. Still you know there will be those who still blame the "easy availability of guns," completely oblivious to the late Mr. Crawford's record as a clearly dangerous individual. It's worth asking why exactly we can't keep people like that locked away from society, as it would seem they can't be trusted with anything bigger than a toothpick — and they might even be able to get away with inflicting a bit of damage with that. Really, the whole sorry episode brings to mind an old quote: "There is only one remedy to an armed bad guy and that is an armed good guy." And to the nitpickers I would say, even fists count as weapons, especially when the disparity in physical size and strength is big enough, as it could have been here. I don't know if having a gun would have saved the lives of Lechea Crawford, her sister or her kids, but the smart money says that if Ms. Crawford had had the presence of mind to arm herself, she'd also have had the presence of mind to get the hell away (or stay the hell away in the first place) from a piece of human detritus like her late husband. But that's just what I think...
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