Politico Headline: "Mayor Bloomberg: End 'shoot-first'
laws." This sort of thing makes me really angry. Not the fact that the
Mayor wants to alter the law, but that he is talking about Florida's gun laws
and the Zimmerman trial. Bloomberg made this statement after the conclusion of
the George Zimmerman trial blasting Florida's 'shoot-first' gun law. Bloomberg
should remember he is the Mayor of New York City, not a representative of
Florida. He should keep his mouth shut on the laws Florida residents have
enacted for their own protection.
Bloomberg then goes on to say
"But one fact has long been crystal
clear: ‘shoot-first’ laws like those in Florida can inspire dangerous
vigilantism and protect those who act recklessly with guns. Such laws – drafted
by gun lobby extremists in Washington – encourage deadly confrontations by
enabling people to shoot first and argue ‘justifiable homicide’ later"[1].
Here, Bloomberg is clearly making a reference to the
Zimmerman/Martin case given the time in which this statement was delivered.
What is unfortunate is that he is using this event for political gain. It's
made even worse because he isn't even acknowledging any evidence put forward by
the defense. Bloomberg must believe as the prosecution tried to prove, that
Zimmerman acted as a vigilante and not in self defense; that he shot Martin
first and then decided to deal with the consequences later. Clearly Bloomberg hasn't actually been
following the case since there was photographic evidence of Zimmerman's bloody
face and head, as well as testimony at the trial from forensic pathologist Dr.
Vincent DiMaio that Martin was standing over Zimmerman when he was shot[2],
which fit with Zimmerman's story.
The worst part about Bloomberg's quote is he is saying that
the people of Florida don't know the proper policy for their own protection. He
clearly believes that up on his high horse in NY City he knows the true needs
of people living in Florida.
His entire rhetoric is offensive to those who believe they
shouldn't have to flee from criminals. The 'shoot-first' laws he is referring
to is also known as 'stand your ground' laws. They essentially state that "a
person may justifiably use force in self-defense when there is
reasonable belief of an unlawful threat, without an obligation to retreat first[3]."
So in essence, we have a right to our own protection and we aren't require to
run away first. One question for Bloomberg, what happens if someone is cornered
and unable to run away, in something like a dark alley? If someone is making
threatening advanced and you can't 'run away,' what then, beg? Also, even if
you are required to 'flee first,' litigation will still follow because it will
need to be determined how much effort should be put into running away before
deadly force is used.
When Florida enacted their 'stand your ground' laws they
were actually returning to an old concept that was well known around the
founding era. It's known as "Castle Law" or "Castle Doctrine." Castle Doctrine states that if someone were to be attacked
in their home they were not legally obligated to retreat, but could meet force
with force. Currently, 24 states have some sort of "stand your
ground" laws[4].
So given the amount of states, it appears that many people in the US desire the
legal protection for self-defense.
So not only is Bloomberg speaking about this issue without addressing
the facts, he is telling residents of Florida and half the country that they
are in the wrong on this issue. Bloomberg needs to remember he is the Mayor of
New York City, not Miami. He doesn't represent the state of Florida, he doesn't
represent the Federal government either. His sole concern should be those
living in NY City. It's time for politicians to stop bashing people in other
states. Your job as an elected official is represent those who put you in
office, not to make social commentary or bash representatives of other states. Mayor
Bloomberg, if you want to spew your ideology to everyone, be a talk show host,
not a tax paid politician.
Bloomberg has aspirations of far more power than to simply remain mayor. He has the money to back up and promote the progressive agenda. To that end, he will not stop.
ReplyDeleteIn many states, the 'duty to retreat' laws simply gave criminals the upper hand since self defense was out of the question if you had the opportunity to escape the situation.
Imagine an intruder breaking into your home, the 'duty to retreat' says that you must exit your house to avoid confrontation. This is against everything this country was founded on. Now that many states have done away with this doctrine and adopted the 'stand your ground' laws, the left is attempting to reinstate the 'duty to retreat' and strip away the rights of people to protect themselves.
The 'stand your ground' concept does not apply to the Zimmerman case since he had no way to escape because he was trapped on the ground getting beaten. However, Eric Holder and others are attempting to do away with the right of people to defend themselves (especially with guns) by claiming that having a gun in your possession emboldens you to confront rather than retreat. This is a slippery slope and it will eventually lead to such a grey area of determining victim vs criminal status. Basically under this concept, Zimmerman would be guilty of murder because he dared to follow someone that he suspected may be up to no good and forced the confrontation resulting in Martin's death.
Just think, a justice system where both criminal and victim status is determined depending on political agenda and social justice.