EDITORIAL: In praise of courage, but urging caution

Gary Hill was a man of courage.  

Sunday morning, he saw someone trying to take a woman’s car by gunpoint. He intervened and it cost him his life.  

He could have done nothing. He could have pretended he didn’t see anything and gone about his day. Instead, he died doing something that demanded bravery, a willingness to put himself on the line for the benefit of someone he didn’t even know.

Gary Hill died a hero and we thank him for his willingness to respond to the cries of another. Imagine a nation of Gary Hills. To live with such conviction seems beyond most of us. Few would do what Gary Hill did.

Yet, there are those who will argue Gary Hill should have let law officers handle it. They will say he should have called the police and waited for them to get there, rather than insert himself into a dangerous situation. 

Most would agree.

Law officers say it’s best to call those who are trained and equipped to deal with such situations. That is why they are there. That is why they are on the front line. They may not get there within a minute, but they will be there as quickly as they can and will know what to do.

North Idaho is fortunate to have fine police and county personnel ready to respond to emergencies and dangerous scenarios. They have done so in the past and will continue to do so.

Most civilians are not.  

Most civilians don’t carry firearms.  

Most civilians are not prepared to defend themselves or others.

We rely on police to do it.

We don’t want to discourage people from helping others in times of trouble. We don’t want to say never get involved. We don't want to be a nation that is fearful of coming to the aid of fellow man because we could get hurt, even killed, in the process. We don't want this to be a world where it is every person looks after No. 1.

Yet, at the same time, we don’t want people to insert themselves into dangerous situations where they don’t know who they might be dealing with or what they might be facing. They, too, could wind up the victim. We want people to be safe.

We recommend if you see a troubling situation, call law officers and wait for them to arrive. In the end, though, it's up to each of us. 

Gary Hill chose otherwise. His actions may have saved another's life at the cost of his own. While we are sorry for his death, we know this: our world is better because of people like Gary Hill.