September 18, 2020
By Clay Bell
While looting has become quite common in the widespread riots in some of America’s largest cities, the phenomenon of storming someone’s property and carting off whatever you want largely doesn’t occur much out “in the country.”
Unfortunately, some people are just criminally minded and attempt to take advantage of those in dire situations, even outside of urban areas. Take devastating hurricanes as an example, where abandoned homes are often looted by those who care more about enriching themselves than helping those in a tough spot.
The rampant wildfires out West provide another example, as some with criminal minds attempt to take advantage of those who have had to evacuate, or might have to soon, because of approaching flames. But some property owners in Oregon are having none of it.
Pictures of signs bouncing around on Twitter show some Oregon residents are willing to shoot first and answer questions later. One sign showing exactly what looters would face should they enter the property read, “We won’t call your family. Your body will never be found. Bang Bang!”
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Other signs said, “Looters and arsonists will be shot,” “Looters will be shot,” and “Home and armed. U loot, we shoot!!”
Of course, there are always those on Twitter who can’t understand why free Americans would want to protect themselves and their property. One tweet, written by a person who wants to abolish ICE, gender and police, said: “1. Looters target businesses, not houses. 2. Looting tends to be limited to areas where looters are excluded from or have been attacked in (e.g. racist malls). 3. These people are being irrational and jumping at shadows. 4. Property is a lie. 5. Life has more value than things.”
While that statement is a load of bovine feces, another Twitter user took the side of the homeowners, writing: “I support this completely. If these lawless criminals can bend the law and do what they want, so can everyone else.”
You certainly can’t blame Oregon homeowners. It’s hard to understand their plight, with many having to evacuate and possibly never seeing their homes and belongings again. But it’s even harder to understand—at least for non-criminals—how anyone would use that situation to take advantage of them.
