Pistorius' Side Of The Story

Oscar Pistorius tells court how he shot girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp
Alex Perry, Time Magazine

I am tempted to believe Pistorius' story. It makes a horrifying sort of sense. Of course, we haven't heard the full prosecution case yet, and they have already said that the police had been to the house before on "domestic" calls ... not proof, but a possible indicator of a different explanation.

Still, if Pistorius did accidentally shoot Ms. Steenkamp, then by his own description, it was something far worse than an accident. I'm of the opinion that guns are terrible self-defense tools for the home, so I'm biased here. But if Pistorius' story is true, then it's a strong argument that guns in the home are more of a risk than a protection. Apart even from that, taking multiple shots at a closed bathroom door indicates either extreme stupidity, or extreme paranoia of the kind that would call for some kind of counseling, even without an "incident".

Note also that Pistorius mentions when he did and did not have his prosthetic legs on. He doesn't explicitly say that he was more afraid of the supposed intruder because of his disability, but he does kind of relate his need to defend himself and Steenkamp to the fact that he wasn't wearing his legs. I wonder if we'll hear more from Pistorius or his defenders about ways his disability might relate to all of this.

On the other hand ...

The Onion's Tips For Not Accidentally Murdering Your Girlfriend.