I knew immediately the outcome of the SYG law coupled with already basic self defense laws already on the books would birth more unnecessary and innocent casualties than actual criminals. I knew, I had nightmares about, and if the SYG law had been in effect only few years earlier, I'd likely have been its first victim. I know some of you will declare, "Dang! What a missed opportunity." But you see, there's the intent of such laws, then there's the reality of their outcome. These innocent shootings aren't isolated, and they're taking place around the country more so than they are being reported by the media. Every story of this kind doesn't necessarily make national news.
Little Falls Minnesota: Thanksgiving Day, 2012: 64-year-old held two popular students in basement, before killing them both for allegedly breaking in. Although the state of Minnesota does not have a SYG law, wordings similar to Florida's SYG law have expanded into Minnesota's Castle Doctrine one.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin: 13-year-old shot and killed by neighbor while taking out trash. Neighbor "mistakenly" accused child of breaking into his home.
South Carolina: Man opened fire on a SUV full of teenage girls outside his home in Columbia and unintentionally hit unarmed 17-year-old Darrell Andre Niles (some say was attempting to help the man's daughter the teen girls were after) in his car, killing him.
These and more, coupled with the recent local killings aren't isolated, neither are they "mistakes." A "mistake" is when the waiter or waitress accidentally spills spaghetti or coffee on your lap at a restaurant, and the way things are going now the customer would just as likely pull out their gun and shoot them too. No one should claim to be law-abiding and responsible in one breath, then reduce the taking of a human life down to an "oops" moment, I made a "mistake" in another. Otherwise, you've already lowered yourself to that criminal element you claim are prone to preying on the innocent.
On mass roundups and arrests, so many get really excited about numbers. But numbers are deceitful. In fact, I believe that's their primary goal, that is to deceive the masses and the gullible. They're like the drone strikes sometimes initially cheered, then some report emerge detailing reality. The actual number of innocent men, women, children and even babies killed. Or the young white male who was sent to prison for six months for a non-violent/non-criminal act allegedly because he had one job instead of two, only to be assaulted by a fellow inmate while locked up. When citizens are locked up in the prison population for non-violent, often non-criminal acts, they're often housed with violent offenders, some who are unstable with violent tendencies. It's not unusual for those individuals being held for non-violent/non-criminal acts to experience assaults at the hands of fellow prisoners or sometimes even guards. Those individuals may go in non-violent only to come out violent, angry and anti-social. You don't ruin people's lives and forever alter or change their destiny in a negative way just because an election year is on the horizon, and someone wants to look tough in order to get elected.
American society may no longer be good at producing rocket scientists, but it's become really good at producing more and more criminals, violent and anti-social ones at that or just angry people ready to "shoot anything that moves."
Brenda Manghane-Washington
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Every story of someone killed by a knife, baseball bat, screw driver, car, fork or any other means are also not always reported. Not everyone who uses a gun to "defend themselves" are always correct and what Brenda failed to mention was how many of those mistakes resulted in charges. Thousands of people die every year at the hands of mistakes by medical personnel and yet we haven't outlawed hospitals, doctors or nurses.
As usual Brenda is just all over the place on this one but had to get her jabs in about the poor downtrodden falsely accused people who go to jail at the hands of the crooked police and are abused by the system.
Wrong is wrong and punishment for wrong doing is just fine with me.
Leave the 2nd amendment alone and just deal with the wrong doing.
Mike Cox
Chattanooga
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My late wife Donna was one of those casualties of medical malpractice. Doctors are covered by an automatic shield, codified in Tennessee state law in 1994.
Brenda is not all over the place, she's spot on.
Donald Woods
Knoxville
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This "stand your ground" issue ties in with the guns kill post also. Besides the other shootings referenced, how many criminals were present at the Moore Road road rage shooting, or the two recent shootings in North Georgia? How about Sandy Hook Elementary, Columbine, Aurora Colorado, Virginia Tech, Tuscon, Az. and many many more? The lists go on and on.
I think it is time for the courts to revisit SYG laws in this country as well as the 18th century era second amendment.
John Fricke
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Yeah, I'm with Mr. Fricke, -let's get rid of that pesky, "18th century era" 2nd amendment. Those 18th century era documents do us no good.
Wait a minute.
Dallas Cole