Posted on 04/05/2014 12:01:01 AM PDT by kingattax
On April 3rd, the Florida senate passed warning shot legislation by a vote of 32-7. The state house had already passed the measure, so it now goes to Gov. Rick Scott (R) for his signature.
If signed, this legislation will make it legal to fire a warning shot as a last step before shooting an attacker who has launched an assault.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
This is a bad idea!
‘Warning shots’ are stupid and dangerous. That bullet is coming down somewhere or it could ricochet if fired at the ground.
If you are legally and morally justified in using deadly force, then use it decisively. Your aim is to plant every bullet you fire into a vital organ of the person or persons who pose the threat to whomever you are defending. Wasting your limited ammo on this is pretty poor tactics. You think you’re going to have a chance to reload? You’d better have some pretty good distance and cover between you and the bad guys. Ever try reloading after running a hundred yard dash and falling blindfolded off the end of a diving board into ice water? Because that is what a sudden deadly force encounter is going to do to your fine motor skills.
Warning shots ‘permitted’ will almost immediately become warning shots ‘required’. One more legal defense hurdle you will need to overcome. “Only one warning shot? Why didn’t you fire two? Why didnt you empty your whole cylinder ‘warning’ him? You seemed awfully eager to shoot, weren’t you?”
I imagine a few warning shots reaching innocent bystanders.
Good idea —
If Curtis Reeves had fired a warning shot his victim would probably still be alive and he wouldn’t be spending the rest of his life in jail for murder.
If I fired a “warning shot” and HIT the perp, could I claim I HAD fired a warning shot but missed?
Perplexing............
I await the hoards to comment.........just asking.
They're not MANDATING a warning shot - they're going to stop the harsh prosecution of folks who opt to fire one. Currently, if you shoot someone, and it was self-defense, you're good to go. If you fire a warning shot, your looking at 10-20 years (mandatory sentences) depending on the situation.
Situational awareness is an on-the-ground responsibility and there are some cases where a warning shot might be useful and/or save a life from being unnecessarily snuffed out. I fail to see the downside of removing the out-sized punishments and allowing folks to make personal observations and choices.
Under current law you could also fire a “warning shot” but claim that you tried to shoot the perp but missed or that the gun went off prematurely.
Why waste a waste a round? Watch some idiot now come up with you now have to count to 10 before the next round can be fired.
That’s the warning shot, apparently.
Why start with the premise that you need take a life just because you can - even if you might not have to?
Once again, the point being missed about the Florida law - it is designed to remove the mandatory 10-20 year imprisonment of those who opt to fire a warning shot. It broadens the options of those who choose to be armed to defend themselves.
from Justified we learned the 21 foot rule. If the separation is less than 21 feet, the advantage is to the skilled man with a knife.
Just be sure there is not a hole to fall in between you and the man with the gun. Danny Crowe taught the rule but failed to see the hole and died by his own knife
I don’t care how many laws they pass, if I am attacked the first (of many) shots aimed center mass can be considered the “warning shot”.
I suppose there could be a scenario where a warning shot would be appropriate, but it escapes me.
Florida news ping.
I can tell you this has been ALL but IGNORED by the Miami news media...it would, after all, make the Republican legislature look good in the eyes of many Miami citizens AND it would redound to the benefit of the Republican party governor Rick Scott.
The Miami media is ALL IN for Charlie Crist, the pro-sodomite Democrat for governor.
Not true.
Great analysis
PING
Why stand and wait for the perp to take my life because I chose to spare his wasting precious seconds! If you want a warning shot, go perp the neighbor!
And I think we all know the real reason for the law!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.