Canadian Man Charged After Using Gun to Defend His Home From Firebombers

A Canadian man has been charged with multiple weapons violations after he used his revolver to defend himself from firebombers who tried to destroy his home. And it was all caught on camera. Ian Thomson is a 53-year-old former mobile crane operator from Southwestern Ontario. He‘s also a devoted student who’s using his years after 50 to study environmental geosciences. And he’s even a former firearms instructor. But this fall he became a criminal in the eyes of the law. It all began in late August of last year, when Thomson woke up to the sound of three masked men tossing at least six Molotov cocktails at his house. In response, Thomson grabbed his Smith & Wesson revolver and ran out of his house in his underwear and “fired his revolver two, maybe three times, we’re not sure,” his lawyer, Edward Burlew, told Canada’s National Post. Thomson’s security cameras captured the attack. But when he turned the footage over to the local police, Thomson couldn’t believe what happened: he was charged with careless use of a firearm, and his collection of seven guns, five pistols, and two rifles was seized, along with his firearms license. More charges were added later, including pointing a firearm and two counts of careless storage of a firearm. Prosecutors are recommending jail time...more