Personally, I feel that the so-called "Stand Your Ground" laws that are in place in several states are, in their current forms, seriously flawed. Flawed to the point of bein' extremely dangerous.
Here is one hypothetical scenario that glaringly supports my opinion:
Let's keep it really simple.
Say that someone, let's make 'em a man for the sake of our scenario today, goes through the appropriate process and obtains a concealed carry permit.
Then, one evenin', our guy (we'll call 'em George) is out alone, in, let's say Florida. George encounters someone that angers him. Whether George knows this person or not is irrelevant. The reason for George's anger is also irrelevant. George confronts and provokes this individual, and things escalate quickly into a physical altercation.
Almost immediately, it becomes clear to George that he has, through his own actions and poor judgement, placed himself in a situation where he stands a good chance of gettin' his ass kicked. George's solution? Pull his piece and pump some hot lead into the chest of this other individual, killin' 'em on the spot.
There are no eye witnesses. (Well, none save for George.) A trial takes place and, primarily due to the "Stand Your Ground" law on the books in his state, George is acquitted. The other individual? Still dead. (Great line, huh? "Still dead.")
Okay, that was fairly short. Short for me, anyway. But now, let's see if we can describe this exact same scenario, but apply an extreme economy of words. Make our description of the events as short and concise as we possibly can.
Here goes-
Man picks fight with another man, then shoots and kills the other man when it appears that he is losin'. No laws were broken.
How's that for short, huh?
So, based on either of the two descriptions of the events, do you feel that Florida is a safer place to live because of their "Stand Your Ground" law, or less safe than it was without it?
Here's my take-
With the law currently in place in Florida, it is now extremely easy to shoot and kill someone, anyone, at any time, and have an incredibly good chance of gettin' away with it. Just make sure you do the deed in private.
Now, let's begin reverse-engineering our scenario, addin' more details. I'm gonna go first person narrative on this. More dramatic impact, I'm thinkin'-
I was out walkin', and met my sister's ex husband. I called 'em a freakin' prick and a fight ensued. He was a lot bigger than me and landed a couple good ones, so I shot and killed him.
Or,
I was out drivin', and some asshole cut me off on the exit ramp. At the next stoplight, I gave 'em the finger, called 'em a freakin' prick and a fight ensued. He was a lot bigger than me and landed a couple good ones, so I shot and killed him.
Or,
I was down at the beer joint, and some bigmouth wouldn't stop talkin' about how much money he made. I knocked over his drink, stepped on his foot, called 'em a freakin' prick and a fight ensued. He was a lot bigger than me and landed a couple good ones, so I shot and killed him.
Damn, y'all! Do we really want this kinda shit goin' on? Do we want to live in a country where a law is constructed so poorly that it can shield a murderin' bully from prosecution?
A great example of how, at times, the Law can be completely divorced from Justice.
Bullshit.
Fish
