This month, a Michigan judge formally sentenced a 19-year-old man who intervened in a deadly shooting at a Dearborn shopping mall. But it was a question the judge asked the young man that is drawing scrutiny, according to The Gateway Pundit.
As FOX 2 Detroit reported, Martinez Long was at Fairlane Town Center on July 3 when a fight broke out and escalated. One of the people involved pulled a gun and began firing inside the mall.
The shooter, identified as Cameron Watkins, killed Keonte Seaborn in the wake of the altercation. He then shot another person and kept firing. Long, who was carrying a firearm, fatally shot Watkins, ending the attack.
A Permit Problem
Long did not have a concealed carry permit. In Michigan, residents cannot obtain a concealed pistol license until age 21. That gave Dearborn authorities what The Gateway Pundit described as an excuse to prosecute him.
On September 8, Long was sentenced in the case. Judge Sam Salamey imposed two years of probation for the permit violation. But the sentencing did not end there.
As he delivered the sentence, Salamey asked Long: “What do you need a gun for protection in a mall, in the first place?”
“Fortunately, you weren’t injured, but nonetheless, you had a gun there in the first place, which was poor judgment,” the judge told Long, according to the report. “And what do you need a gun for protection in a mall, in the first place?”
Salamey added: “Nonetheless, I think this agreement is in the best interest of justice.”
The Case for the Question’s Answer
Critics of the judge’s comments argue the answer was sitting in plain view. Watkins opened fire in a crowded mall and killed one person, then wounded another and continued shooting. Long, the only armed person in position to respond, used his weapon to stop him.
The Gateway Pundit argued that Long acted with the instincts of an adult American citizen exercising Second Amendment rights, despite Michigan’s age restriction on concealed carry permits. Had Long not been carrying, the outlet reasoned, more lives would have been lost.
The outlet also noted that if the judge’s logic had prevailed on July 3, dozens of people could have been killed.
Malls and retail centers have been the scene of repeated mass shootings over the past two decades. A partial list compiled by The Gateway Pundit includes:
• Allen Premium Outlets in Allen, Texas, on May 6, 2023
• Greenwood Park Mall in Greenwood, Indiana, on July 17, 2022
• Cielo Vista Mall and the Walmart in El Paso, Texas, on August 3, 2019
• Westroads Mall in Omaha, Nebraska, on December 5, 2007
• Trolley Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, on February 12, 2007
• Tacoma Mall in Tacoma, Washington, on November 20, 2005
The families of victims in those attacks, The Gateway Pundit wrote, would likely wish a person like Long had been present.
Political Reaction
The Gateway Pundit described Salamey’s remarks as dangerously illiterate on constitutional questions and argued he has no business remaining on the bench.
The case reflects a broader tension in Michigan and other states with strict concealed carry age laws: when a person under 21 uses a firearm defensively in a public space, the law’s prohibition on carrying it can lead to prosecution even when the shooting itself is found to be justified.
The judge acknowledged the sentencing agreement was in the interest of justice. Long received probation rather than jail time. He will remain under court supervision for two years.
Questions about how the case might affect Michigan’s concealed carry age statute, or whether the Dearborn County prosecutor’s office would revisit charging decisions in similar circumstances, were not addressed in the reporting.
Source: www.thegatewaypundit.com — https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/09/judge-makes-unbelievably-stupid-dangerous-remark-as-he/