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Illegal Hero

When an 11-year-old boy was attacked by a pack of dogs outside Ben Srigley’s Washington, D.C., home, Srigley took action. He grabbed his gun and shot one of the dogs. A District police officer shot and killed the other two. This left city prosecutors in a bind. Deputy Attorney General Andrew Fois “tried to balance what he did, the law that he broke, the circumstances under which he broke it, and what he did to help the boy.” The problem was that, while he’d legally purchased his gun when he lived in Virginia, Srigley, 39, had not registered it in D.C. Fois offered Srigley a deal: pay a $1,000 fine, move to Maryland as he’d previously planned, register his guns, and stay out of trouble for two months. A charge of possessing an unregistered firearm would be delayed. “We don’t want people to not help,” Fois said. “But when you break the gun laws, it’s not something we can turn a blind eye to.” Fois said that with the plea bargain, “The laws of the District of Columbia are vindicated, while recognizing the unique contribution he made saving a young boy’s life.” (MS/Washington Post) ...In other words, as long as he’s no longer our problem, it’s not a problem.
Original Publication Date: 18 August 2013
This story is in True’s book collections, in Volume 20.

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