Having read this, I now REEEEEEEEEEALLY want this "serial number on bullets" law to happen in Florida.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050427/od_n...HNlYwNsbjc1Nw--

Quote:

Florida Governor Signs Deadly Force Law

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Reuters) - Florida Gov. Jeb Bush signed a new anti-crime law on Tuesday that allows people to kill in self-defense without first trying to flee.

Supporters say the law is a logical extension of common law that allows homeowners who fear for their lives to use deadly force to defend themselves from an intruder in their homes.

The new law expands that doctrine to include people in public places who feel threatened and could be subject to death or great bodily harm.

"To suggest that you can't defend yourself against a rapist, who's trying to drag you into an alley, or against a carjacker who's trying to drag you out of your car is nonsense," said Marion Hammer, a former president of the National Rifle Association.

"The ability to protect yourself, your children or your spouse, is important, no matter where you are."

Critics of the new law, called the "Stand Your Ground" bill, have few objections to allowing people to protect themselves in their homes but say the bill will create a "Wild West" mentality in public, where residents may shoot first and ask questions later.

"There are going to be a lot of repercussions," said Rep. Eleanor Sobel, a Democrat. "You could have someone reaching into their pocket and if the person felt threatened he could shoot."

Like many states, Florida courts have ruled that homeowners have a right to defend themselves in their homes. Florida courts have expanded the doctrine to include employees in their workplace and drivers who are attacked in their automobiles.

Outside the home, however, courts have ruled that most victims must at least attempt to escape before using deadly force, a provision gun advocates say puts victims at greater risk. The new law removes that requirement if a person has a reasonable fear of death or great bodily harm.

"All this bill will do is sell more guns and possibly turn Florida into the OK Corral," Rep. Irv Slosberg, a Democrat, said during recent debate on the bill.



I have no objection to the idea of killing in genuine self-defense at all. Someone tries to harm me or my family, I want the right to defned myself when necessary.

However, there are a lot of idiots in Florida with really short tempers and really lousy aim who are the type that would easily gun down someone that pissed them off and claim self defense.

So it's a really tough call - the old "punishing the guilty without hurting the innocents you're trying to save dillemma."

On one hand, there's the rights of intended victims to defend their lives vs. the rights of innocent bystanders to be in a public place without having to worry about getting their brains blown out by some hotshot desperado (or someone with lousy aim.) People dying because they'e not allowed to defend themselves from genuine threats vs. people getting killed because someone else mistakenly thinking they're a threat. Lives saved by trying to take out a psycho trying to shoot up your workplace or school vs. lives lost when innocent people get caught in the crossfire.

You get the idea, I'm sure.

So if serial numbers on bullets make it easier to identify murder suspects, and if there's a risk we might be seeing more people getting shot, I'm all for bringing serial numbers to Florida's bullets.

Besides, we have plenty of unsolved shooting deaths here in Florida, so that in itself is reason enough to enact it here.

Last edited by Darknight613; 2005-04-28 6:34 AM.
"Well when I talk to people I don't have to worry about spelling." - wannabuyamonkey "If Schumacher’s last effort was the final nail in the coffin then Year One would’ve been the crazy guy who stormed the graveyard, dug up the coffin and put a bullet through the franchise’s corpse just to make sure." -- From a review of Darren Aronofsky & Frank Miller's "Batman: Year One" script