Live by the sword: Mom who gained fame for gun at soccer games shot dead

Meleanie Hain, 31, of Lebanon PA, became nationally known last year for carrying a loaded gun to her daughter’s soccer games.

Hain was seen as a champion of second amendment rights, and the media called her the pistol-packin’ soccer mom. The Lebanon Daily News broke the story in 2008, printing a picture of Hain at soccer matches with her Glock 9mm clearly visible. Hain’s permit to carry was confiscated by authorities after the press attention, but Hain appealed and her permit was returned. Hain filed a federal civil rights lawsuit and was awaiting scheduling of the case when she was killed.

Police are remaining tight lipped about the details of the case, although it is known to have been a murder suicide. Witnesses say that around 6:20 pm on Wednesday, the Hains’ three children (Girls, 2 and 6, and a 10-year-old boy) fled from the home screaming, “Daddy shot Mommy!”

Neighbors report some signs of marital trouble in the Hain household, but late Wednesday afternoon, nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary:

Brian Witmer, who lives between Mise and Bossler said he saw Scott Hain mowing the lawn about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.

“He was mowing his lawn, and the dog was outside. There was nothing out of the ordinary. He didn’t seem strange at all,” he said.

(Debbie) Mise said she had a feeling something bad would eventually happen at the Hain home.

“She just wasn’t right,” Mise said of Meleanie Hain. “You don’t bring a gun to a kids’ soccer game, and you don’t wear a gun when you go shopping at Kohl’s.”

The tragic deaths of the Hains are very sad, with three children witness to the violence and traumatic deaths of their parents. I just can’t help but wonder what Meleanie Hain would have thought of the incident, had she not been a part of it. The irony is, of course, that Hain remained a responsible gun owner- she just didn’t live long enough to legally bear out her second amendment rights. Her story will likely be used by those who opposed her right to legally carry a firearm, in an effort to limit the rights she fought to protect.

[Source: Lebanon Daily News]