Gun law critics fear state will become O.K. Corral

Sarasota Herald-Tribune ^ | 10/2/05 | Latisha Gray

[hemogoblin]

Joe Brower says everyday life is like "Wild Kingdom." It's survival of the fittest. And in his world, criminals don't attack people with guns; people with guns are the strong ones.

If some criminal mistakes him for prey, as of today, a new law gives him the right to shoot with the gun he keeps at his side.

"A lion out in Africa doesn't go for the strongest zebra," said Brower, a 44-year-old software engineer. "It goes for the weakest. Human predators do the exact same thing. If you are armed, that makes you stronger."

The "Stand Your Ground" law says instead of running, people who fear for their lives have the right to defend themselves -- no matter where they are.

Gun owners like Brower say the new law will make criminals think twice before they attack. But others who feel uneasy about the legislation say it could turn Florida into the Wild West.

One national group, The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, is warning tourists to stay away from Florida for their own safety. Visitors to the state get wide-eyed when they hear about the new law.

[NautiNurse]

and your point is...?

[Beagle8U]

Jenny Grandstand (then AG) predicted Michigan would turn into the wild west when we passed our ccw law.
What happened?...Car-jackings dropped like a rock!

Nov. 2006 will be a great month, we'll be rid of her dumb-ash and get our dove season back!

[floriduh voter]

Link above from Drudge. I do not have an opinion either way but why not in Florida? Red light runs will now cost approx. $125. So, try not to run any red lights in Fla.

[floriduh voter]

Sometimes I don't have a point or an opinion but sometimes Fla PD count yellows as red lights.

[Graymatter]

But for some unrelated shortcomings, Florida could now be entitled to adopt a new motto: "The Polite State."

[Shooter 2.5]

Maybe the brady bunch should stay the # out of Florida.

[GeorgiaDawg32]

"This sounds good now," Bill Burke said. "But we're worried about that guy in traffic that's tailgating. What if I start tailgating him and he feels threatened? He could get angry and pull out a gun and shoot me."

And I guess this never, ever, ever happens now..even in states with stringent gun control..

[savedbygrace]

Here's one account:

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WWokcorral.htm

[GeorgiaDawg32]

"One national group, The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, is warning tourists to stay away from Florida for their own safety."

Sure they should be scared. If I were a bad guy, who would I rather rob/carjack/mug..a Florida resident who MAY be armed, or a tourist couple straight out of the airport who I KNOW doesn't have a weapon??...

[longtermmemmory]

I truly hate how the media has mischaracterized the law.

What this is REALLY about is the TORT REFORM encompassed in this law.

LAWYERS ARE BEING DENIED ACCESS TO INSURANCE MONEY CLAIMS!

FOLLOW THE MONEY!

When I have discussed this with my fellow lawyers, MONEY is the root of their concern NOT lives. This law threatenes gun control groups like brady FAR more than criminals.

The CAN NOT attack people who defend themselves under this law.

[longtermmemmory]

There should be a study done to correlate a one year drop in crime after every CCW law is passed.

I predict FL will have a drop in home invasions in the comming year.

[Graymatter]

Gosh, I hate living in NJ

I liked it until the crime rate and the tax rate got personal. Do what I did and move to rural PA. I can leave the house unlocked when I go out. I have actually seen people shop at the supermarket in their pajamas. The local body shop will inflate your tires and put oil in your motor at no charge, and thank you for stopping by. Instead of $20,000 a year in taxes on 2 houses I pay $400 for one sturdy old 4-BR with a nice yard and a wraparound porch with a view of the universe. As for guns, people think gun ownership is normal and natural here. 911 is the number you dial for cleanup.
What's Jersey got (besides the Jersey shore)?

[wolfcreek]

Criminals are not stupid. Likely, they'll move to states where these laws don't exist to avoid the chance of being confronted by a gun.

[Beagle8U]

Freepers, or the NRA, will have to do the study, the anti-gun MSM will never do it.

The problem of all the studies now is that they come out several years AFTER the crime rates drop. By that time everyone has forgotten WHY they dropped.

[jwpjr]

re: An arrest!

And not just any ol' arrest, but a 'gun control' arrest! There's considerable irony in this someplace, it's just too early in the morning for me to figure it out. I'll revisit it later, when my head is clearer.

[kylaka]

Pick up the phone and call for a pizza and a cop. See which one gets there first.

[mcshot]

Does that mean we currently have to drag a "hard times acquisitioner" into the house to avoid trouble?

mc

[Joe Brower]

A-yep -- the "Joe Brower" quoted here is yours truly. This reporter called me last night and we spoke for about 20 minutes. I gave her TONS of great quotes and talking points, including a refutation of the hysterical headline which, of course, was not given ink.

Trouble is, I never said "wild kingdom"; I said "animal kingdom", and a pejorative was substituted. And as for the "Survival of the fittest" bit, well, she just made that up completely. I have to get a pocket tape recorder so I have some evidence to back me up next time when I take the SHT to civil court for defamation.

Which should serve as a lesson to all of us when we deal with the media -- even when you watch every word, nothing will stop these newscritters from hearing whatever they want to hear. Sheesh -- newsies wonder why no one believes a thing they say any more -- gee, I wonder why? And the newspeople wonder why firearms-owners are so relucant to talk to them. Boy, that's a tough one to figure out!

But who knows? Maybe some highly un-PC talk will shake up a few folks. They sure could use it.

Stay safe, everyone.

[montag813]

Why does the "O.K. Corral" get such bad press? Seems to me it was very civilized to have a place where men could resolve their disputes themselves, without involving or threatening the entire community. At least the participants in that famous confrontation did it privately. A more aggregious example would be as portrayed in the film "High Noon", where the antagonists used the town as a shooting gallery, endangering all citizens not neccessarily involved in the dispute.

[IronJack]

They've made that claim in every state where concealed carry has been proposed. Not once has it happened.

You'd think that paranoia lode would have played out.