I can barely remember his deal,
shot 3 or 4 thugs that were trying to rob him on a NYC subway, right? Don't
remember if he got any time, though.

Jim,
You might want to do a Google.com search on "Bernie Goetz". From what I
remember he had been mugged on NYC subways previously so he started carrying a
handgun with him while commuting. One day four young black punks attempted to
rob him using sharpened screwdrivers and other items as weapons. Goetz pulled
his revolver and started shooting. IIRC one of the assailants was shot in the
back and paralyzed for life and a couple others were hurt but they survived.
All the assholes had extensive records for various violent offenses etc. For a
time Goetz was a hero and the crime rates in NYC dropped dramatically. However
the powers that know what is best for all of us decided that the idea that
private citizens should be allowed to defend themselves was too dangerous to be
allowed. Goetz faced several charges that would have had him behind bars for
the rest of his life if convicted of all of them. The jury acquitted him of all
but one charge, that of having an illegal firearm (a law that in my opinion
and many others is unconstitutional). In a civil trial Goetz lost a lawsuit and
the puke he shot and paralyzed won a large judgement. After the incident the
four pukes involved went on to committ many more crimes. Even the punk confined
to a wheelchair committed a rape a few years later. IMHO Goetz should have been
given a medal, a few hundred rounds of ammunition for his pistol and a lifetime
pass for the NYC subway.
Dennis