There are ongoing court fights across the country about when our Second Amendment rights kick in. Is it 18, which is the age of majority now, or is it 21, which was typically seen as the age of majority when the Second Amendment was ratified in 1791. The Supreme Court currently has four cases pending its review that challenge state and federal restrictions on the right to keep and bear arms for adults under the age of 21, and if the Court grants cert to one or more of those cases this term the impact of its decision will be felt by millions of young adults across the country.
A disturbing case out of Oklahoma, where only those 21 and older can lawfully carry, is a perfect example of why adults under the age of 21 need access to their Second Amendment rights too.
An 18-year-old woman in Pottawatomie County is facing a long road to recovery after allegedly being stabbed 14 times by a 24-year-old man who was reportedly obsessed with her.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Ronaldo Zavala was even fired from his job at a local movie theater over inappropriate actions towards the young woman, who was a co-worker at the theater along with her boyfriend.
Audio from the original 911 call revealed the attacker repeatedly saying, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry," as he stabbed the victim. Deputies say Zavala and the victim worked together at a movie theater in Shawnee before the incident.
Video from a doorbell camera also captured the suspect repeating those words while stabbing the victim.
"He was just obsessed with this female. She had no interest whatsoever, and it just drove him to the brink of committing this crime," Capt. Jared Strand from the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office said.
Police believe that Zavala waited in the darkness for the victim to come out of her home. Around 1 a.m., as she was eating a burger on her front porch, authorities say he ran toward the home and repeatedly stabbed her. The woman's brother heard her screams and ran outside to help her, and was also stabbed twice by Zavala, according to authorities.
The siblings are expected to survive their injuries, and Zavala is now facing serious charges, including violating a protective order that had previously been filed against him.
In Oklahoma you generally have to be 21 to purchase a handgun at retail or to lawfully carry one in public. We don't know if the 18-year-old would have taken steps to protect herself with a pistol if the law allowed it, but we do know that current statute in the Sooner State makes it extraordinarily difficult for adults under-21 to access and possess the most common firearm used for self-defense in the country.
There have been legislative efforts to lower the age for concealed carry from 21 to 18, but despite the Republican majorities in both the House and Senate those efforts have not been successful to date. Vicious crimes like this one, though, should spark a renewed debate over the issue, and those lawmakers who remain opposed to the idea should explain why they believe innocent women like this victim should not be able to use a gun to protect themselves until they turn 21.
And as long as lawmakers are addressing this issue, they need to revisit another statute on the books. Right now Zavala is being charged with assault and battery with a deadly weapon, which is punishable by up to life in prison. A charge of shooting with intent to kill also carries a potential life sentence, but in a quirk of state law, assault with intent to kill is only punishable by up to five years in prison.
If Zavala had tried to beat the woman to death, he would be likely be looking at a relatively short stint behind bars. There's no reason why shooting with intent to kill should be punishable by up to life in prison but trying to kill someone by another means is treated less seriously. In this case, the fact that the victim was stabbed and not beaten within inches of her life allows prosecutors to seek a life sentence, but there are plenty of abusers and stalkers who use their fists and feet as weapons, and they should face the same potential punishment as someone using a knife or a gun.
That's a lesser concern, though, than the fact that even in of the most 2A-friendly states in the country, young adults can face insurmountable challenges if they want to lawfully protect themselves with a pistol. Again, we don't know if a chance in law would have made a difference in this case, but it's safe to assume that more young women would be able to protect themselves in the future if they could legally carry a handgun.
