One of the most startling stories I have yet read in the Philadelphia Inquirer was buried on the back page of the Local News section. Barbara Boyer's "One neighborhood, two lives, two paths" begins with an anti-gun editorial slant which is all too typical in today's news reports:

The two young North Philadelphia men grew up in the same tough neighborhood, but their lives took significantly different turns. One chose college, the other packed a gun.

Their legacies now overlap in a tragedy that left one man dead and the other charged with his April 15 murder.

Nafis Bilal, 23, of the 2200 block of West Jefferson Street, is in jail, accused of gunning down Pennsylvania State University senior Tyrone Myers Jr., 22, of the 2500 block of North Chadwick Street.

(Emphasis added.)

Either college or a gun.

Naturally, I found myself wondering whether Ms. Boyer ever knew a law-abiding gun owner. Or a college-educated gun owner. There are a number people who sincerely believe guns are inherently evil. Maybe they surround themselves with people who think the same way.

I ran into a woman at a party once who worked as a producer for NPR. We had a lovely talk and she couldn't have been nicer until the gun issue came up. It's always a little awkward for me when this happens, because people make assumptions about me, and I hate to let them down, so I try to do it in a gentle, almost joking way.

I ventured, "Well, I'm a life member of the NRA, but I don't think I'm an official gun lobbyist," or something like that. Immediately, this nice woman's eyes narrowed, and for all practical purposes, our conversation was over. I had let her down, and I hate doing that. But sometimes honesty has a way of sneaking into the most ordinary conversations.

Back to the Inky. What amazed me this morning (and I'm only on my first cup of coffee) is what Ms. Boyer managed to allow to sneak into her account of the accused shooter's capture:

Two days after Myers was killed, Bilal was arrested on robbery charges stemming from another holdup in the area, Costello said.

In that confrontation, in the 1900 block of North 22d Street, one of two victims had a permit to carry a gun - and he used the weapon on the two suspected robbers.

Highway Patrol officers heard shots fired and apprehended Bilal, who had been shot in the hip. A few blocks away, police apprehended another suspect identified as Bilal Hasson, 23, who had been shot in both thighs, Costello said.

Police also recovered a gun used in the robbery, Costello said. Authorities believe the gun belonged to Nafis Bilal.

(Emphasis added)

Right here. In Philadelphia.

And it made the Inquirer. (Does Police Commissioner Johnson know? Maybe he'd stop viewing concealed carry permit holders as enemies who "outnumber" the police.)

I'm feeling so charitable I won't even ask why it was buried at the end of a story purporting to contrast the "choice" between college and guns.

I think the victim who had the concealed carry permit is the hero here, and Philadelphians should be grateful that he chose to have his gun.

For all we know, he might have also chosen college.

UPDATE: Thanks to Jeff Soyer for linking this post!