Armed Ohio teenager stops home invader; Democrat bill would have rendered him defenseless

WXIX (Fox Cleveland) reported recently that a man who was confronted by an armed homeowner after breaking into a Butler County house escaped from a police cruiser, then broke into another nearby home, only to be met by another armed person - this time a 15 year-old boy.

From the article:

Brian Hiner woke up to his dogs barking this morning and while checking to see what was going on, he heard some commotion.

"I hear something behind me because the basement doors are right behind me and I hear somebody and it's him, he's right behind me coming up the staircase,"said Hiner.

Hiner says Michael Roberts, 26, broke into his home through a small window in the backyard. He says during the confrontation, it was so dark
he couldn't see anything so he quickly called 911, and grabbed a gun to keep Roberts cornered.

...Police arrived and apprehended Roberts. but while officers were talking to Hiner, Roberts got out of the cruiser, and bolted.

"This other cruiser pulled up and saw that he got out and started running towards the cornfield and that's when they panicked. They didn't even know how he got out of the cop car, they just knew he got out and the chase was on," said Hiner.

According to the article, Roberts eventually ended up at the home of 15-year-old Justin Kugler, who was sick, and home alone.

"I was home sending an email to my teachers about homework when my dogs started barking and I looked out the window but I didn't see anybody there so I went to the top of the stairs with the gun to make sure there wasn't anybody downstairs and then that's when the door opened and I saw him," said Justin Kugler.

Kugler says he was pretty scared because he noticed Roberts had a knife on him, but he was armed and ready for Roberts at the top of the stairs.

"I told him to get out of the house or I'm going to shoot you," said Justin Kugler.

"Guns have always been an important thing in our family and he knew what to do when the problem came up," said Jarrett Kugler.

Roberts was then apprehended for a second time just outside of the Kugler's home.

"I feel pretty good about it that I could have saved other people's houses and their property," said Justin Kugler.

Neighbors are reported as saying there have been a rash of burglaries in that area recently, but police say it's unclear if Roberts, who is now in jail facing several charges including aggravated burglary, is responsible for the other break-ins.

Anti-self-defense extremists do everything they can to make sure that when criminals break into homes like the Hiner's and Kugler's, the people inside are unarmed and defenseless.

Think that sounds like an exaggeration? Consider HB 31, a so-called "safe" storage bill being promoted by Democrat State Rep. Bill Patmon. HB 31 is gun control legislation that would "prohibit any person from storing or leaving a firearm in the person's residence unless the firearm is secured in safe storage or rendered inoperable by a tamper-resistant lock or other safety device if the person knows or reasonably should know that a minor is able to gain access to the firearm and to provide criminal penalties if a minor gains unauthorized access to a firearm not so stored or rendered inoperable."

If Patmon's bill was law, and this knife-wielding home invader entered the Kugler home, 15 year-old Justin would have been defenseless.

HB 31 will die at the end of this legislative session, but as it's not the first time this idea has been proposed in the Statehouse, it will likely be introduced again soon.

As you are reminding your friends to vote on Tuesday, remind them that Democrats like Bill Patmon want knife-wielding home invaders to be protected from the threat of armed victims like Justin Kugler.

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Secretary, BFA PAC Vice Chairman, and an NRA-certified firearms instructor. He is the editor of BuckeyeFirearms.org, which received the Outdoor Writers of Ohio 2013 Supporting Member Award for Best Website.