Robert A. Levine 3-23-12
The tragedy of the Trayvon Martin case in Florida highlights the madness of the “carry laws”
allowing citizens to carry guns on the street to “protect themselves.” This folly is compounded by Florida’s “stand-your-ground” statute that permits people who feel their lives or safety are threatened, to use deadly force against the individual or individuals they believe are endangering them, or if they believe criminal activity is occurring. This is not an issue of just one self-authorized vigilante killing an innocent teenager, but of a culture that allows citizens to carry guns and shoot people based on a subjective judgment.
The problems with these laws have been disregarded by legislators in submission to the NRA in Florida and numerous other states. It is difficult enough to determine when policemen have acted appropriately in shooting someone they consider dangerous. When a civilian is involved in a confrontation, the uncertainty escalates. Since any non-felon can be licensed to carry a gun on the street, there is no way to exclude racists from targeting minorities, gangs from killing adversaries, people from settling grudges with individuals they dislike, or self- authorized vigilantes attacking those they consider bad guys, all claiming the shootings were done in self defense.
Are we still in the Wild West era on the frontier where citizens had to carry guns for protection and there were shootouts in the streets? Or perhaps we are devolving into a society similar to Iraq, Yemen, or Afghanistan. Can the revival of feuds like the Hatfields and McCoys be far behind? Maybe we should also allow honor killings of women who disobey their parents and have sex with a boyfriend.
Politicians on both the right and left constantly talk about American exceptionalism in a positive
way, separating the nation from all others as a hallmark of freedom and democracy. The ability of citizens to utilize firearms is another way the U.S. is different from other countries. America is the only developed nation that permits citizens in many states to carry weapons on the streets, some including schools and other public places. Allowing home owners or business owners to have guns on their premises to protect themselves is understandable, or hunters owning guns, or skeet shooters. But the “liberalism” that many conservatives have shown in regard to gun rights makes no sense. And it is not only the carry laws, and stand-your-ground laws but allowing people to own assault weapons, sniper rifles, rockets and grenades for “self-protection.” This should not be acceptable in a civilized nation.
One interesting element in the Trayvon Martin case is that the “stand-your-ground” Florida statute would have justified Martin’s shooting George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch captain, who shot him. Zimmerman, who appears to be fifty to a hundred pounds heavier and much taller than Martin in photographs, followed Martin around after having been told by the police to cease and desist to allow them to handle the incident. But he persisted anyway and apparently got into a fight with Martin. We know what would have happened if the situation had been reversed and a black teenager had shot a white man in “self defense.” If not shot by the police, he would have been thrown into jail.
According to an article in the Orlando Sentinel, there were 13 killings in Florida that the authorities considered justifiable homicide in 2005. After the stand-your-ground law was passed, over the next five years an average of thirty-six killings annually were deemed justifiable. 19 other states have similar laws to Florida’s stand-your-ground statute, permitting the use of guns outside the home. Tragedies such as Columbine, Virginia Tech and the Gabrielle Giffords shooting have done nothing to halt the march of gun advocates that keep liberalizing gun laws. There must be a better way to make the nation’s citizens feel secure.
Resurrecting Democracy
www.robertlevinebooks.com
The tragedy of the Trayvon Martin case in Florida highlights the madness of the “carry laws”
The problems with these laws have been disregarded by legislators in submission to the NRA in Florida and numerous other states. It is difficult enough to determine when policemen have acted appropriately in shooting someone they consider dangerous. When a civilian is involved in a confrontation, the uncertainty escalates. Since any non-felon can be licensed to carry a gun on the street, there is no way to exclude racists from targeting minorities, gangs from killing adversaries, people from settling grudges with individuals they dislike, or self- authorized vigilantes attacking those they consider bad guys, all claiming the shootings were done in self defense.
Are we still in the Wild West era on the frontier where citizens had to carry guns for protection and there were shootouts in the streets? Or perhaps we are devolving into a society similar to Iraq, Yemen, or Afghanistan. Can the revival of feuds like the Hatfields and McCoys be far behind? Maybe we should also allow honor killings of women who disobey their parents and have sex with a boyfriend.
Politicians on both the right and left constantly talk about American exceptionalism in a positive
One interesting element in the Trayvon Martin case is that the “stand-your-ground” Florida statute would have justified Martin’s shooting George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch captain, who shot him. Zimmerman, who appears to be fifty to a hundred pounds heavier and much taller than Martin in photographs, followed Martin around after having been told by the police to cease and desist to allow them to handle the incident. But he persisted anyway and apparently got into a fight with Martin. We know what would have happened if the situation had been reversed and a black teenager had shot a white man in “self defense.” If not shot by the police, he would have been thrown into jail.
According to an article in the Orlando Sentinel, there were 13 killings in Florida that the authorities considered justifiable homicide in 2005. After the stand-your-ground law was passed, over the next five years an average of thirty-six killings annually were deemed justifiable. 19 other states have similar laws to Florida’s stand-your-ground statute, permitting the use of guns outside the home. Tragedies such as Columbine, Virginia Tech and the Gabrielle Giffords shooting have done nothing to halt the march of gun advocates that keep liberalizing gun laws. There must be a better way to make the nation’s citizens feel secure.
Resurrecting Democracy
www.robertlevinebooks.com
No comments:
Post a Comment