'Stand your ground'

by David Grand
October 26, 2005

That's what George "I don't see that many Indians" Custer may have urged his surrounded troops to do at Little Big Horn, or a football coach to his defense linemen faced with a goal line stand. But it took on a unique meaning in Florida on Oct. 2, when what's known as the "stand your ground" law went into effect, giving people greater latitude in using deadly force to counter what they perceive to be a threatening situation. They already have that right in their homes, but now they can claim they were acting in self-defense in public places.  But they can't, when confronted by a cop, use their shooting-iron, no matter how terrified they are.

Florida was the first state to adopt a CCW "carrying concealed weapons" law in 1987, followed by all but seven states where its prohibited. However, paradoxically (forgive the big word), in every year since 1987 Florida has had the highest rate of violent crimes in the nation, according to the FBI's annual Uniform Crime Report. So much for the promised results of its CCW law.

Shades of the Wild West, was my first thought in reading that, and vowing never again to let the sun rise on me in the Sunshine State, lest some gun-toting, fast-on-the-trigger Floridian (man or woman) blows me to kingdom come for, say, arguing with 'em over a parking space, accidentally stepping on their toes, or resembling, in their minds, an armed fugitive whose picture they saw on "America's Most Wanted" show. What a way to go that'd be, especially in knowing as I drew my last breath they could get off Scott-free!

Supporters of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, who did their damnedest to prevent that law from being enacted, were as disappointed as a ghost without a house to haunt, while the NRA (who makes no secret of the fact that they're an advocacy group for the gun industry) were giddy as a drunk, seeing it as a giant step forward in their crusade to pass the weakest CCW laws in all states.

The NRA's main purpose for advocating less restrictive laws is, as they publicly acknowledge, to increase gun ownership in the country, albeit that there's already over 222 million privately owned firearms in the US, not  including the inestimable quantity of weapons stockpiled by militia groups (a.k.a. weekend warriors), who are reluctant to believe the Russians still aren't coming.

And talk about a cohesive organization, with the NRA being able to mobilize its four million members into action lickety-split, whenever a gun control measure is proposed by state legislatures or Congress. Oh, were it that FEMA had such instant lines of communications and could be energized as quickly when natural disasters occur.        Perhaps nothing better illustrates the power NRA can exert over politicians, than this Congress electing not to bring up for renewal the 1994 federal law banning the sale, manufacture, transfer and possession of 19 different semiautomatic assault weapons, even though polls taken between 1999 and 2004 shows that up to 78 percent of Americans supported the ban.

Most Americans also pooh-pooh the notion put forth by former NRA President Tom Washington, that "an armed society is a polite society." For if that were true, then we'd be living in the safest place on earth. But the evidence tell us otherwise, what with almost almost 80,000 children and teenagers killed by gunfire between 1979 and 1997; that every two years guns kill more Americans than those who died in Vietnam; and that gunshot wounds cost the nation $2.3 billion a year for medical treatment. 

If that bespeaks of a polite society, then I must be living on Mars where's it's said men come from, which beats being on Venus where women are spawned.