BELLEVUE, WA – The horrible slaying of Virginia resident Holly Hatcher, 62—mother of rising country star Spencer Hatcher—and the subsequent fatal shooting of the suspect by her husband, Michael, is a reminder that good people everywhere should never be deprived of their right of self-defense, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said.
“Our deepest sympathy goes out to the Hatcher family, and we join the nation in mourning this terrible loss,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “At the same time, we offer our sincere support to Mr. Hatcher who was able to retrieve a handgun from his parked vehicle to fatally shoot the attacker. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family as they cope with this tragedy.
“This inexplicable act underscores the importance of every citizen’s right to self-defense, and to possess the means to immediately stop a violent attack,” he observed. “This case illustrates the fact that violent crime is unpredictable, and that nobody is immune, no matter who they are or where they may live.
“The fact that this tragedy happened to a prominent family reminds us that violent crime can, and does, happen to anybody,” Gottlieb continued. “Yet today in America, we see efforts to disarm honest citizens, leaving them vulnerable to violent and deadly assault.”
Gottlieb noted that the attacker used a knife. He said this only reinforces the importance of being prepared, which includes exercising the right to own firearms for personal protection.
“We will perhaps never know why the man who killed Mrs. Hatcher did this terrible thing,” Gottlieb said. “What we do know is that her husband was able to stop the killer from committing further violence because he had a firearm with which he was able to fight back. No words can ever fully heal this kind of tragic loss, but we are grateful Mr. Hatcher was able to defend himself and survive, and that he had a gun when he needed it.”