Friends mourn death of gun-toting mom
Acquaintances say Meleanie Hain's death was a matter of domestic violence.
By JOHN LATIMER
Lebanon Daily News
Updated: 10/08/2009 11:26:07 PM EDT
Friends and supporters of gun-rights advocate Meleanie Hain mourned her death Thursday.
Hain, who gained national notoriety a year ago when she wore a holstered handgun to her 5-year-old daughter's soccer game, and her husband, Scott Hain, were found shot to death inside their South Second Avenue home Wednesday night in an apparent murder-suicide.
Investigators have released few details about the circumstances that led to the shootings, but neighbors said the Hains' three children ran from the house screaming, "Daddy shot Mommy," shortly after 6 p.m. The children, all between the ages of 2 and 10, escaped unharmed and were staying with neighbors as of Thursday afternoon.
Lebanon police Chief Daniel Wright said he was awaiting results of Thursday's autopsy on the Hains before releasing more details about the incident. The only new information he provided was that the couple were found on separate floors of the split-level brick house in the quiet southside neighborhood.
Police were called to the Hain home shortly after the children escaped. Minutes later the Lebanon County Emergency Services Unit -- a specially trained tactical squad made up of officers from several municipal police departments -- and city police cordoned off the area and told neighbors to stay inside their homes.
Wright said the ESU responded quickly to the scene because it was already on a training mission.
Little transpired for the next two hours as police tried to establish contact with anyone
in the house. At about 8:30 p.m., the ESU entered the home, where it found the Hains' bodies.
After last year's incident at the soccer match, the 31-year-old Hain became a spokeswoman for open-carry advocates who support the right to wear a loaded weapon in public, a practice she often employed and which is legal in Pennsylvania.
On Thursday, other open-carry advocates who knew Hain said her death was a matter of domestic violence and should not be used to argue against the Second Amendment rights she championed.
"If Meleanie had never taken the firearm to the soccer game, regretfully, what happened (Wednesday) still would have happened," said Rich Banks, founder of paopencarry.org, a Web site devoted to the open-carry issue.
Banks said he came to know Hain as a kind and generous person through her postings on the Web site's discussion forum under the name "Shefearsnothing."
"In the end, her actions were not the ones that harmed anyone else," Banks said. "Agree with her or not, she was a good person who never harmed a soul, and I just hope people remember that."
Banks said he spoke with Hain regularly and occasionally saw her at the organization's training exercises, shooting-range trips and social functions. It was common knowledge among her friends that she was having problems with her husband, he said.
"A lot of people were aware of her marital issues," Banks said. "She did stuff that she didn't completely trust his reaction to. It was not a secret by any means. She has been considering her options for some time."
Despite the marital discord, no one expected a violent outcome, Banks said.
"I don't think anyone could have prevented this outcome other than Meleanie," he said.
Despite rumors to the contrary, a check of county records showed that Hain had not applied for a protection-from-abuse order from her 33-year-old husband, who was a parole officer in Berks County.
Hain's friend, Greg Rotz, organized a show of support last October when she had a court hearing to get her gun permit returned after it was taken away by Sheriff Mike DeLeo following the soccer incident. He was devastated to hear the news of Hain's slaying.
"I just saw her this past Saturday at a birthday party of a friend that she attended as well," he said. "She seemed fine -- like her normal self, to me."
Rotz also was aware of her marital problems but said he didn't think it would lead to her death.
"Those of us who knew her a little bit knew things weren't perfect at home," he said.
Although he doesn't know many details of her death, Rotz said Hain may have been unarmed if she could have used her weapon.
"I'm very curious to know if she happened to have her weapon on her," he said. "If she didn't, and she would have, it might have made a difference."
