so it's legal to drive around spewing mace???

[Demovictory9]

Link to tweet

[elleng]

1. Probably not;

several possible violations, among them assault (with vehicle, and mace.)

[dchill]

2. I only know what you know...

The legality of your actions has a direct relationship to your political affiliations.

[Mike Niendorff]

3. Gee, I wonder what would happen ...

... if any of the people they were assaulting ...

... had countermeasures that were effective against truck tires ...

... or truck axels ...

... or truck windshields ...


Or if they simply recorded the license plate numbers and pressed charges for assault.


MDN

[FBaggins]

7. Only the last one would avoid escalation

What would happen with the first three?

One would hope that law enforcement would arrest them and charge them with destruction of property.

What would be much more likely? Trumpers with giant flags on a jacked-up pickup truck who are obviously looking for a confrontation? They're likely armed with more than mace and we would now be debating whether the shootings were in self-defense or not.

Far better to let them be the ones violating the law and catch them on film... then escalation.

[Mike Niendorff]

10. If someone is shooting "paintballs" and pepper spray at me ...

... then I have a right to defend myself.

Period.

Hard to drive a jacked up pickup shooting at Americans when your windshield is covered in black paint.

For example.


MDN

[FBaggins]

14. Of course you have a right to defend yourself

But that cuts both ways. It doesn't accrue to "the good guy" in the scenario.

You have a right to defend yourself, but so does he. You don't have a right to have multiple people jump in front of a moving truck and force it to stop. If you do it in an environment where other drivers have been pulled from vehicles and beaten? You aren't defending yourself.

Bringing "countermeasures" that can attack truck tires/axels isn't "defensive" in nature either. Using them after trying to stop the truck in that environment is probably enough for him to claim the right to defend himself as well.

When they're just driving down the street and assaulting passers-by... they're the ones breaking the law. Why give them the excuse?

[Sherman A1]

4. Putin certainly is getting what he wants

Discord in the country. All those hacking rubles are paying off.

[Hekate]

11. This is SO much more cost-effective than missiles and warships. Talk about bang for your rubles!

but also totally serious

[samnsara]

5. and yet they arrested a food truck...

[FBaggins]

6. In that video? Possibly yes. But not in others

There’s another video (of what looks like the same two trucks) where they are just spraying a crowd that merely yells at them (possibly with one person burning a Trump flag ). That situation would seem clearer.

But one where multiple protesters are jumping in front of your vehicle and trying to stop you? In an environment where recent news had vehicles stopped by (supposed) protesters and the occupants beaten... you probably could get away with a pepper/mace spray.

[Chainfire]

8. The sprayers probably had a back-up plan, involving firearms

if someone fought back. That may have been the whole point.

[GeorgeGist]

9. IOKIYW

[Hekate]

12. Right. Pretty much the same as IOKYAR

[StrictlyRockers]

13. It's only legal for Trump supporters.

Or friends of the police.