News & Views

Vigilante justice has been heavy in the news lately, but Patrick Drum wasn't trying to make headlines when he brandished his 9mm and started offing men in Washington State. He was just trying to kill sex offenders. As many as possible until the police stopped him, as a matter of fact. And that’s exactly what he told the cops when he was apprehended on Sunday after a manhunt that included dogs, helicopters, and the works. And even when he was caught, we don't hear that he expressed remorse. He probably felt like he had done society -- or at least the state -- a favor. 

There must be an angel watching over another registered offender in a neighboring county. He can breathe a hefty sigh of relief that he can still breathe a hefty sigh of relief. Probably unbeknownst to him, he was a marked man because, right before Drum got snagged by law enforcement, he was on his way to kill him, too.

No word on why Drum decided to become a one-man sex offender killing machine, but at the very least, he was a gunslinger on a moral mission that clearly was near and dear to his heart, seeing as how he was willing to subject himself to a long life behind bars -- he’s only 34 -- in order to satisfy his plan.

Anyone who just grabs a gun and starts knocking folks off is usually a sociopath who was going to wind up doing something that landed them in jail anyway. I mean, let’s just keep it real. A person who gives themselves the authority to kill another human being for any reason isn't thinking clearly and the person who actually acts upon that self-appointed right is really off their rocker. If we all did that, there wouldn't be any of us left because everyone would have a reason to off someone else, I’m sure. Lawyers, politicians, cheaters, in particular would be moving targets. And basket cases, I’m quite sure. (Though if some of these characters knew that vigilante justice was going to come a-knockin’ on their doors, they might straighten up their acts.)

Yes indeed, the concept of vigilante justice is a scary one because it means that any of us could get the business for any number of reasons: being an inconsiderate driver who cuts people off in traffic, knowingly having an affair with a married person, walking home from the store carrying a pack of Skittles and an Arizona iced tea. The possibilities are endless. But in Drum’s case, he targeted a group that really is the sludge of society. Not too many people are going to mourn a man who rapes an innocent child. So it’ll be interesting to see how his trial and sentencing play out in the real court of law, not the one he was carrying out with his pistol. 

Do you think a jury will convict him as harshly because of who he was targeting in his rampage?

 
Image via mdanys/Flickr