There is a new ad campaign trying to warn tourists away from Florida. They figure that Canadians are apt to get ventilated by angry Floridians under the state’s new Shoot First law. My personal feeling is that it will probably be safer to vacation in Florida than the rest of the U.S. now that criminals are on notice they can be taken down with fewer consequences. And if this law has the side-effect of encouraging everyone to improve their manners when dealing with other members of the general public, so much the better.
John Lott’s “More Guns, Less Crime” has the empherical evidence that more liberal gun ownership laws reduces violent crime. Watch how crime will start to fall there.
In Canada self-defence is illegal. But don’t worry, our police will protect you. Just ask the thug who is threatening you to wait for you to call 911 and then wait until the police arrive. You will be fine and he will be really sorry he attempted to commit a violent crime eh!
Criminals and politicians agree — keep the citizenry unarmed and helpless!
“An armed society is a polite society”
It will be interesting to see if the Florida courts throw this out when the first cases come up.
Nothing new; these are the same nanny-staters who were bleating “There will be blood running in the streets!” when Florida became a “shall-issue” CCW state, and since then, Florida’s murder rate has DROPPED (repeating the pattern seen in every other state that has passed CCW laws, BTW.)
In Orlando, Florida, (back around ’72), I met a young couple who came home from work, and their ground floor condo was cleaned out- the thieves took everything. So they bought a bunch of new stuff and acquired a Great Dane to look after it while they were gone. They came home from work, and the place was cleaned out-again- and this time, the dog was stolen, too!
I live in Fl and If anyone wants to make the “streets” safer they need to make running a redlight a $10000.00 dollar fine or a year in jail.
Fact is traffic fatalities and injuries caused by driver neglect, (I dont believe its ever an accident.) outnumber firearms deaths and injuries, accidental or intentional, by the thousands. The tourists need not be worried about the folks carrying sidearms legally. They need to be concerned about all the time pressed tailgating, redlight running, soccer moms and stressed out time mismanagers driving like crazed demons on our streets.
I will always respect Mr. Brady for what he has been through , unfortunately the Bradys’ could do alot more good with their time addressing problems in the real world.
Run you’re vehicle through a intersection blindly with no regard to the law or others safety and kill a few people. You may get a ticket a fine and probation. Stand on a street corner and shoot youre firearm without regard for human life or safety and see what you get.
In the end , whats the difference ?
I’m going to Florida!
“An armed society is a polite society”
Robert Heinlein, yes? Great quote.
“It will be interesting to see if the Florida courts throw this out when the first cases come up.”
Having had to deal with the Florida courts on a near-daily basis for several years, I’d be the last person to give them the benefit of the doubt on practially anything, yet I think you’re jumping the gun here (pun intended). While this statute has drawn a lot of attention, it’s actually no more extreme than is the law in many other states.
What exactly is there to throw out? What possible legal basis do you actually see for such action? Rather, conversely, if I may, I think it’s worth quoting Florida’s state-law analogue to the Second Amendment, which has consistently been held to be stronger:
–Article I, Section 8(a), Florida Constitution
Too funny, the right to bear arms trumps all argument.
I was thinking if the Florida Prosecuting Attorneys Association doesn’t support this law, then the inevitable hiding behind it by some guy whose life wasn’t in danger makes it interesting.
If someone loses their kid shot under this law and the shooter loses his defence, could the parents sue the government?
And carrying concealed weapons, how is this done. In warm weather I wear shorts and a t-shirt…do people just carry it around in their pockets or a little holster?
Duke:
Self-defense is legal in Canada � but it must be in proportion to the threat. If someone threatens you with a lethal weapon you are perfectly entitled to protect yourself in any manner � including deadly force. If someone threatens to punch you, you aren�t entitled to waste that person with your shotgun. Of course, this creates a great big gray area when people have only a second to decide the severity of the threat against them.
When I read this story in the papers I wondered � is there any of what I will call �rules of engagement�? You may remember several years ago when two fatalities occurred in the south (I forget which states precisely). Both were similar with one involving a British tourist and the other a Japanese student (possibly exchange student). Both were lost and went to knock on a door to ask for directions. Paranoid homeowners blew both away.
John B. As far as I know, you are not permitted to own a firearm in Canada if the purpose of it is self defence. I can’t find anything to confirm that, though.
JustAnother:
While you may or may not be entitled to own a firearm strictly for self-defense, you can own a shotgun for duck hunting. Wink wink, nudge nudge as Monty Python would say.
True enough 😉
I did some digging.
http://angryincanada.blogspot.com/2005/09/shoot-first-or-stand-your-ground.html
If gun crime in Florida scares Canadian tourists, then no Canadians would go to Toronto. I hear there have been a “few” gun murders there this summer.
Here’s another great quote I saw on the Free Dominion site. Don’t know who originated it though.
“A man without a gun is a subject.”
“Too funny, the right to bear arms trumps all argument.”
When did I say it trumps ALL argument? What I wrote was that I suspected it would trump THAT argument, i.e., I was wondering on what basis you thought the Florida courts would toss the statute, and I’m still wondering. That Judge X doesn’t think it’s good policy is not reason enough to second-guess the decision of the elected legislature.
“I was thinking if the Florida Prosecuting Attorneys Association doesn’t support this law, then the inevitable hiding behind it by some guy whose life wasn’t in danger makes it interesting.”
I’ve worked with the FPAA; I know and respect them, but you have to understand that they opposed the bill because they almost invariably oppose anything that makes prosecuting any crime more difficult. This is separate and apart from the police chiefs and sheriffs, who opposed the bill at least in its original form because they were concerned about how it would apply to law enforcement; additional language was included to assuage those concerns.
“If someone loses their kid shot under this law and the shooter loses his defence, could the parents sue the government?
That sentence isn’t very clear, but keep in mind that the presumptions this statute provides for are all rebuttable. What do you mean by “loses his defense?” If the plaintiff put on enough evidence to counter the presumption in the shooter-defendant’s favor, then the jury could hold the defendant liable. But unless said defendant was a government actor, that doesn’t mean you’d be suing a public entity as well; even if you were, keep in mind that most law enforcement is local, so you’d typically be talking about a suit against the city or county, not the state.
Should I go into the details of Florida’s sovereign-immunity statute, or would that just cause eyes to glaze over? I find it an interesting subject myself, but I know others might regard it as rather dry.
“Self-defense is legal in Canada � but it must be in proportion to the threat.”
So here is a question that no Liberal has been able to answer.
What do you do when your opponent is a trained martial artist, say 3rd or 4th degree black belt. Try to attack him with your bare hands? Or in that case, are you justified in defendiing yourself with a gun?
I should know as I am a 3rd degree blackbelt in Karate, and trust me, you wouldn’t know it to look at me. Better yet, my Sensei is a 74 year old short Japanese who could take-out almost anybody.
So the question is, what is a fair fight? And how do you tell?
Good luck Floridians, tell you children not to argue!! or they will be DEAD!! The “Choose Life Governor has given you the right to choose to kill. We are doomed!!!
Good luck Floridians, tell you children not to argue!! or they will be DEAD!! The “Choose Life Governor has given you the right to choose to kill. We are doomed!!!
If it was not so cold in Canada I would move there