Teenage Self-Defense in Florida

Daniels in the Gunblogger Conspiracy IRC channel, posted this link about the criminal charges brought against a teenager who used a pocket knife lethally in self-defense against another teen in Florida.

The short version is that one fourteen year old boy, who had a pocket knife, attempted to avoid a fight with another older boy by getting off the bus several stops before where the fight was supposed to take place. Unfortunately, the aggressor exited the bus with some friends at his back and assaulted the victim cravenly from behind and continued the attack. This caused the victim to draw a pocket knife and begin to fight back. Out of twelve knife strikes, two managed to be lethal for the still attacking older teen. The local authorities charged the fourteen year old with second degree murder and went to court. However, under Florida's "Stand your ground law", a judge threw out the charges.

The judge made it clear that the boy had attempted to avoid the fight, while armed, and was under assault from the first hit to the fatal blow with his blade in a place he had every single right to be in. He had reason to believe that his life was in danger and he acted in a legal fashion.

Of course plenty of people are calling the victim a murderer. People have some sort of weird idea that it was the boy's duty to accept his 'beat down'. That he was a girl to avoid the attack. Those people are so very wrong.

The boy acted exactly how a CCWer should act. He was armed for his own protection, and took steps to avoid conflict knowing that. That failed. He was chased down and assaulted, sucker punched from the onset.

The attacker also had friends with him. When things go south for the attacker, friends often step in. Then it would have degraded into a gang beating. To me that's a big motivator to fight back with everything. I've been in situations similar. Being at the total mercy of teenagers is nothing anyone wants.

Lastly, in the end the victim fought back with an utterly inadequate weapon. Then he only made two lethal hits out of twelve. His blade will have been in the range of 2.5 to 3.5 inches. Almost impossible to deliver an instant fight stopping hit. When knives come out there are often far more hits than that.

People just don't understand the world of a youth. It is not so much sunshine and smiles. Horrible things happen and never get reported. There is a weird code of honor and a lot of fear to back it up. Children are extorted, tortured, sexually assaulted, and robbed. Crimes that merit violent and lethal self-defense among adults are laughed off as kids being kids. Teenagers are not totally children, but not totally adults. They often have the physical power of adults, but not the brains in their skulls to keep them from misusing it.

One kid is dead, he might have made something of his life, I'd rather he have gotten some good wounds and learned. Yet, he reaped what he sowed. When cornered people fight. That kid that fought back will have to live with his actions. He is one of us. One of the CCWers out there. He's no murderer, but he's a killer. Any one of us could be him one day.

Trial of the Canton PD's Victim

Many have seen the unbelievable video of Officer Daniel Harless of the Canton PD Ohio's verbal assault and threats against the CCW permit holder, William Bartlett, on Youtube. He was arrested and charged with failure to inform an officer of his concealed weapon.

It is pretty clear in the video that, Officer 'Roidrage', verbally and physically intimidated this man and simply would not allow him to give that information immediately. Thanks to the video the genie is out and Harless will have to face the music eventually. However, the local law enforcement is not happy to be caught and are working hard to make Bartlett pay for the crime of standing up to their bullying.

The trial against Bartlett is proceeding and Ohioans For Concealed Carry are looking for donations for legal defense. I've tossed a few bucks into the pot and you can too here. Please donate to this worthy cause. Show those bullies that there are far too many of us for them to just 'go home and sleep like a baby' when they beat up on the little guy.

Gay Marriage

A lot of folks have their panties in a wad about homosexuals getting legally married. In my prospective, it is really none of my business. Nor should it be the government's business to say what consenting adults can or cannot be married to. Marrying animals or children is obviously a foul as neither party is going to be able to consent properly. That is science fact, kids. Thus the prohibition makes perfect sense. However, two adults of legal voting age just happen to be both the same sex and want to form a permenant relationship? The prohibition is not there. There is nothing there sexually that is an issue. Most sodomy laws have been overturned. With modern medicine and hygiene coupled with monogamy nor is it a great health risk. Is it that they cannot reproduce naturally? Well, there are plenty of sterile folks in heterosexual marriages. No one disputes their right to marry. So what reason can be left? Religion!

I'm not a big fan of organized religion, myself, but I have no issues with those folks that choose to follow their faith. In fact, I respect good religious people just as much as I do any other good person. Good people are good people. However, our nation does have this entire 'separation of church and state' business. Therefore, prohibition based on purely religious reasons are flatly against the rules.

I see why marriage is protected by legal means. It is absolutely necessary. But it is not true marriage in a religious sense. It is a set of legal protections for the marriage partnership. There is a separation of the body and the spirit in that way. You want spiritual marriage you go to a church, mosque, or synagogue. However, you want real world legal protections, you go to the state.

The government should not favor one religion over another so long as either are active within the law. So its pretty damn wrong, logically, to deny homosexuals legal protections thanks to religious morality. Is freedom an other world for "none of your business." Lots of folk are going to disagree with me on this one. That's fine! You're entitled to disagree. But if you think that's bad, just wait until I talk about abortion. Muwahahaha.