Splitting hairs.Very Madisonian, but words on paper only have so much power. And, while I agree in general, vigilantism is not illegal in and of itself, even though some the acts that occur may be illegal.
And shall we disregard the Constitution (say the 2nd Amendment) because it is just "words on paper"?
How many times has a mob beaten (and at times killed) a "criminal" they stopped only to find out it was the wrong man? I have read a number of such accounts over the years.Vigilantism sometimes occurs specifically because the government failed or is essentially non-existent in performing law enforcement duties and keeping the peace.
And how did law enforcement fail here? They can't be everywhere all the time. It appears they did not have time to respond.
As tempting as meting out the retribution can be, and at times it can seem justified, if we start condoning this we no longer have rule of law, but rather have headed down the slope to anarchy.