MAN ARRESTED FOR FIRING WARNING SHOT: ‘I DID WHAT JOE BIDEN TOLD ME TO DO’
Jeffery
Barton, a 52-year-old man from Vancouver, Washington, pleaded not
guilty on Wednesday to one count of illegal aiming or discharging a
firearm. Barton reportedly admitted that he fired his weapon while
chasing people away, people he thought were breaking into his vehicles.
Barton had a reason for firing the warning shot, “I did what Joe Biden
told me to do.”
Vice President Joe Biden, in February 2013, stated that gun owners could fire a warning shot to ward off intruders:
“I
said, ‘Jill, if there’s ever a problem, just walk out on the balcony
here … walk out and put that double-barrel shotgun and fire two blasts
outside the house.’ … You don’t need an AR-15 — it’s harder to aim, it’s
harder to use, and in fact you don’t need 30 rounds to protect
yourself. Buy a shotgun! Buy a shotgun!”
Law enforcement officials stated that it is against the law to fire a weapon without “a self-defense component, along with a life-threatening situation.”