Retired Judge Blasts Trick-Or-Treaters, Then Turns Gun on Cops

source
A retired Oklahoma judge is accused of firing toward a group of Halloween trick-or-treaters and then pointing a gun at a responding police officer. In a November 8 article, Bearing Arms writer Tom Knighton reports that Jerry Herberger, 73, was arrested following the incident outside his home in Duncan. No one was struck by the gunfire, and police eventually took him into custody without further incident.

According to the police account cited in the article, Herberger was allegedly intoxicated. Authorities had not disclosed what prompted the shooting. The article says he faces charges including assault and battery with a deadly weapon; those allegations have not been established by a conviction.

Knighton uses the case to make a broader argument about firearm ownership: a position of public trust does not automatically make someone a responsible gun owner. He argues that ordinary citizens should not be treated as less deserving of the right to self-defense than judges, police officers, or other prominent people. His central point is that **responsibility**, rather than professional status, should guide discussions about who can be trusted with firearms.