What part of 'justifiable'...?"

Or maybe I should go with Inigo Montoya:
"I don't think that word means what you think it means..."

FBI: Justifiable homicides at highest in more than a decade

By Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY

The number of justifiable homicides committed by police and private citizens has been rising in the past two years to their highest levels in more than a decade, reflecting a shoot-first philosophy in dealing with crime, say law enforcement analysts.

The 391 killings by police that were ruled justifiable in 2007 were the most since 1994, FBI statistics show. The 254 killings by private individuals found to be self-defense were the most since 1997.

The FBI says a homicide committed by a private citizen is justified when a person is slain during the commission of a felony, such as a burglary or robbery. Police are justified, the FBI says, when felons are killed while the officer is acting in the line of duty. Rulings on these deaths are usually made by the local police agencies involved.

Some law enforcement analysts say the numbers represent changing attitudes on the streets, where police have felt more threatened by well-armed offenders, and citizens have taken greater responsibility for their own safety.

Northeastern University criminal justice professor James Alan Fox describes an emerging "shoot-first" mentality by police and private citizens. For several years, police departments have armed their officers with higher-powered weapons to keep pace with criminal gangs. "Clearly there is a message out there that citizens may be able to defend themselves" as well, he says.

Alfred Blumstein, a Carnegie Mellon University criminologist, says the gun "legalization movement" also may have helped create a "greater willingness" among citizens to act in self-defense.

This thing is all over the blogosphere already--what I get for spending a quiet evening with Mrs. Drang last night instead of blogging, I suppose, and as for going to work this morning!---so I suppose I could leave it at the common

1. "Better 'Shoot First' than 'Be Shot First!'"
2. "Why do you think they call it 'Justifiable'?"

Besides, with lines like "Clearly there is a message out there that citizens may be able to defend themselves" and "the gun 'legalization movement' also may have helped create a 'greater willingness' among citizens to act in self-defense"... Well, sometimes the material is so good, even commenting on it would be a cheap shot. So to speak.

Still, when the source material includes this beauty

In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court in June carved out a right to individual gun ownership, ruling that the Second Amendment allows citizens to keep guns in their homes for self-defense.

all one can do is shake one's head. And maybe consider the source: I mean, there's a reason it's referred to as "MacPaper."

Being MacPaper, it had to include a pointless graphic: