Comments on: Compare and Contrast: Responses to Florida’s Self-Defense Laws

By: Stephen

Stephen — Sat, 08 Oct 2005 07:06:48 +0000

and because they are unaware of Florida�s new law that says individual who feel their safety is threatened or their possessions are at risk are legally authorized to use deadly force.

I’m all for this. I want it broadcast throughout the US that if you come to Florida and threaten our safety, you stand a good chance of being shot. Does the Brady campaign accept PayPal?

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Fri, 07 Oct 2005 16:07:27 +0000

Andy,

I didn’t know Mrs. Brady was an anti-gun activist before her husband was shot.

By: Andy Freeman

Andy Freeman — Fri, 07 Oct 2005 15:54:37 +0000

> The Bradys’ problem is that they achieved their objective

Sarah was a gun ban advocate before Jim got shot. She’d been pushing for a national waiting period as a first step long before then as well. The only thing that changed when Jim got shot is the name of the bill and the organization.

As to the “effectiveness” of Britain’s gun control laws, feel free to provide before/after stats. US with-gun murder rates exploded in the 60s, coincident with major federal gun control laws. And, US with-gun murder is not uniform. We’d be happy to provide Britain with the relevant sub-population.

By: Mike Cunningham

Mike Cunningham — Fri, 07 Oct 2005 13:57:34 +0000

Apart from being a guy living in a country which has outlawed the legal posession of guns, and at the same time seeing the rise in gun-related crime go up by almost four-hundred percent, what would you campaign for, a return to legal gun ownership in Britain, along with a rise in gun-related deaths from 0.4 per thousand population to an estimated equivalent to the United States of 13.4 per thousand population?
Given the choice, I would carry, as I did when living overseas, and take my chances! I would echo the N.R.A. slogan, guns don’t kill people, people kill people!

By: John

John — Fri, 07 Oct 2005 09:37:44 +0000

As a Floridian, I like the idea of being seen as a derranged and heavily armed psychopath. So let’s not fight the image.

By: JSinger

JSinger — Fri, 07 Oct 2005 00:15:44 +0000

JSinger has a point – the Bali bombings, attacks on tourists at the pyramids are just more violent.

Ginny, there’s an enormous difference in degree there that would keep me from making that analogy, myself. But I do get your point.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 06 Oct 2005 23:52:44 +0000

“It seems if federal, state, and local governments made it established practice to destroy violent criminals while they’re still juveniles, the felt need to carry weapons around in civil life would be greatly decreased, so that perhaps we wouldn’t be having this discussion.”

By: incognito

incognito — Thu, 06 Oct 2005 22:33:10 +0000

Another reason to love Florida. Criminals should move to California, especially Northern California. Plenty of easy picking there.

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Thu, 06 Oct 2005 22:28:01 +0000

The Bradys’ problem is that they achieved their objective — a modest and popular, though I think clearly ineffective, waiting-period law — early and then decided to turn their activism into a perpetual business. This has been difficult to do, since violent crime, and support for additional gun restrictions, have continued to decline, and the Bradys now resort to an increasingly shrill, extremist agenda and the cheapest kind of intellectually dishonest publicity stunts as a way to generate donations. I suppose it pays the bills.

By: Kralizec

Kralizec — Thu, 06 Oct 2005 22:00:00 +0000

Everything starts from the existence of so many criminals against which people feel this need to protect themselves by carrying weapons. It seems if federal, state, and local governments made it established practice to destroy violent criminals while they’re still juveniles, the felt need to carry weapons around in civil life would be greatly decreased, so that perhaps we wouldn’t be having this discussion.

By: Ginny

Ginny — Thu, 06 Oct 2005 21:43:51 +0000

JSinger has a point – the Bali bombings, attacks on tourists at the pyramids are just more violent.

By: RebeccaH

RebeccaH — Thu, 06 Oct 2005 21:11:16 +0000

For cryin’ out loud! You’re more likely to get your wallet lifted by that stupid Mouse, than you are to get shot in Florida. Have some perspective, people!

By: B's Freak

B's Freak — Thu, 06 Oct 2005 21:01:44 +0000

I especially love the use of the word progressive in “Florida’s progressive views on the right of self defense are reflected in the state law….”.

By: Assistant Village Idiot

Assistant Village Idiot — Thu, 06 Oct 2005 20:52:40 +0000

What is frightening is the psychological defense of “projection” that is shown by gun control advocates. They are quite sure that owning firearms and having permission to use them in self-defense is a recipe for escalating violence. In contrast, gun owners are pretty much aware that putting your hands on a firearm does not make you become violent, neither immediately nor gradually. Why do anti-gun advocates think that this transformation is normative? Are they telling us something about what they would do if they had a gun in their hands? Is their fear of what in our hearts just a projection of what is in theirs? The dangerous and inflated rhetoric of their publications would suggest that is the case.

By: JSinger

JSinger — Thu, 06 Oct 2005 20:46:17 +0000

What I find particularly offensive here is the notion that blackmailing local tourism to support some minor point of domestic politics is a clever strategy that no one has ever thought of before; not a nihilistic race to the bottom that decent people on the right and left have always had too much sense to use.

By: Bill

Bill — Thu, 06 Oct 2005 20:28:16 +0000

As a Floridian, the only change I forsee with the new no retreat law is it now clarifies who is responsible for the injuries sustained by perps in the execution of a crime. Personal injury lawyers will now have to try to get them covered by workers comp if they want see the cash stream continue

By: Sigivald

Sigivald — Thu, 06 Oct 2005 20:23:21 +0000

Ginny: ‘sokay, we already have some limits on guns, and are likely to for the plausibly conceivable future.

I mean, I can’t just go out and buy a machinegun (stupid tax stamps and ATF approval). More’s the pity, really. Think of all the commerce it’d generate!

By: Ken

Ken — Thu, 06 Oct 2005 19:29:09 +0000

The ad reads �Thinking about a Florida vacation? Please ensure your family is safe. A new law in the Sunshine State authorizes nervous or frightened residents to use deadly force. In Florida, avoid disputes. Use special caution in arguing with motorists on Florida roads. Police and prosecutors are concerned about the potential for unnecessary violence.�

Sounds like the law’s working, to me. Anything that discourages fellow motorists from chasing you down and forcing their way into your car(which is pretty much what it would take to cause a “reasonable” fear for one’s safety) if they don’t like the way you drive is all to the good, as far as I’m concerned.

Once someone has started forcing his way into your car, some sort of violence is clearly about to occur. The only way to prevent unnecessary violence at that point is with necessary violence.

By: Ginny

Ginny — Thu, 06 Oct 2005 19:25:44 +0000

This is like abortion; I used to be on one side of the issue. I still would just as soon have some limits on guns and legalized abortions – but do I want to stand with people who favor partial birth abortions or are capable of sending out insulting, demeaning fund-raising letters like this? They can only be described, in my opinion, as assholes. Clearly respect, true liberty & life are on one side – and when the other isn’t even willing to acknowledge the big issues, I lose all respect for them. (As, apparently, they have lost all respect for people of rational and reasonable positions.)

By: Shannon Love

Shannon Love — Thu, 06 Oct 2005 18:00:27 +0000

The utter contempt towards the average citizen that the Brady campaign evinces in their statement is truly shocking. The idea that the majority of Floridians are xenophobic wannabe murders restrained only because they fear the wrath of the nanny state is just vile.

All gun control advocates are elitist snots.