Carl Rowan used illegal handgun to shoot at children

"Rowan, who had advocated strict handgun control, found himself in the center of a gun controversy during the 1980s when he was arrested and charged with using an unregistered weapon to wound a teen-ager who intruded into his backyard. Rowan argued that he had the right to use whatever means necessary to protect himself and his family. The jury deadlocked and the judge hearing the case declared a mistrial." Source: "Columnist Carl Rowan dies at age 75", CNN, 23 September 2000

"In 1988, Rowan shot and wounded in the wrist an intruder who had trespassed on his property in Washington and used his swimming pool. Rowan said he had fired because the youth was trying to break into his house and refused to stop when ordered to do so. He also said the pistol he used was exempt from the District's strict gun-control laws because it belonged to his older son, a former FBI agent. District officials disagreed and charged the columnist with violating those laws. A highly publicized trial ended with a hung jury." Source: "Columnist Carl Rowan Dies at 75", The Washington Post, 24 September 2000

"Rowan was 'a towering presence' in Washington -- and a hell of a song-and-dance man, writes fellow Sun-Times commentator Robert Novak. Novak adds that Rowan's 1988 run-in with teenagers skinny-dipping in his pool (he shot one of them in the wrist) 'led to the only really negative publicity in his career.' " Source: "...AND SO IS CARL ROWAN", USC Annenberg - Online Journalism Review, 26 September 2000



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