Florida passes a "If you fee threatened, shoot" law.

[Cyrano]

Most states have laws that permit you to protect yourself in your own home. However, if you shoot someone running from your home, that's called manslaughter.

Jeb Bush just signed a law in Florida that says you can shoot anyone, anytime, anywhere if you feel threatened. Wayne LaPierre, the head of the NRA, is one happy camper today. Even in the old west, many towns made you turn in your guns until you left.

This law will go into effect in October, and it will probably hurt the state's main industry: tourism. Would you want to come to Florida if you felt that some moron with road rage could shoot you if he felt you were threatening him?

Every time we think the wingnuts have wiped out all the laws they can, they always seem to find a way to get even crazier than we thought they were.

[aquart]

1. I feel threatened by Jeb Bush and Katherine Harris.

How, exactly, is "threat" defined???? And will anyone bother explaining it.

[hippiechick]

10. My thought, exactly.

:evilgrin:

[renaissanceguy]

13. A threat is a homosexual that looks at you on the street....

I mean come on, they probably want you, and that's offensive and threatening... I'd be afraid of them hitting on me. I'd have to shoot!

<end sarcasm>


http://www.cafepress.com/liberalissues.21272015

[BlackVelvetElvis]

30. Ha! What about this?

I used to live in Fla. I was walking in downtown Sarasota holding hands with my girlfriend and 5 drunken rednecks hassled us. The leader of the gang had a bottle in his hand. I got into a screaming match with them and I ran to my car and chased those assholes down. Watch them run!
What if I had shot them instead? Turnabout is fair play.

[nonconformist]

22. Exactly what I was thinking. nt

[gordianot]

2. You've got to be kidding?

[Cyrano]

7. Nope. The thugs in Tallahassee passed it and Jeb signed it.

[chas 2010]

3. Ed Schultz had a sheriff that called in on this and pointed out that

the law change was only a "no retreat required" addendum to the law already on the books. This sheriff said almost every one of the 38 states with conceal & carry laws on the books are a "no retreat required" state law. That means if you are attacked with deadly force on the street, you can stand your ground and repel the person using deadly force back.

I looked it up and he is right. I also found out that since about 1983 Florida has issued over 1.5 million conceal & carry permits with 5 revoked so far from people that subsequently broke the law.

Dean Johnson in Minnnesota (Democrat) just said he would no oppose the Minnesota Conceal & Carry bill this year so that will get passed again also.

[gordianot]

5. As in the the old Johnny Cash song. "Keep your guns at home Bill"

The wild wild South East. Missouri has a similar clause. As a gun owner, hunter, regular visitor to a shooting range, I am not in favor of this type of legislation.

[gordianot]

29. I was incorrect.

Missouri does not have this type of provision.

[newyawker99]

26. Hi chas 2010!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[paineinthearse]

4. WBUR did quite a talk show on this last night, I'll look for a link

I was driving with my son, who goes to Florida 1/year with his mom. He expressed to me that he would be very afraid of going there in the future.

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. It will be interesting to see if

this law sticks. Just wait till one of them radical judges gets ahold of it :)

[d_b]

8. Yeah.

Let's see how long this actually lasts.

[LiberallyInclined]

9. this kind of law really scares me-

i'm a fairly large, and imposing person- i was even once pepper sprayed by a trigger-happy woman who apparently felt threatened when as i walked up from behind her(it was night, and i was going from where i parked my car on the street to my appartment, a few blocks away.
if the woman had had a gun, i would have very likely been killed.

[gordianot]

14. Exactly why this is horrendous. Too easy to make a fatal mistake.

I qualify as an expert on shooting ranges both rifle and pistol. I even had some training in combat shooting. I would never, never, meet a burglar in my house with a gun. Baseball bat yes, gun no.

[ragin_acadian]

11. hey, i think it's great.

i would love to shoot some of these yuppie fuckers driving their SUV while trying to put makeup on, or tailgating me because i'm #8 in a line of 15 other cars.

only problem is, i own a muzzleloader. so i guess i'll have to get something with cartridges.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

12. Great! I can now shoot the condo cop who comes by my condo weekly.

I can also shoot all my pesty neighbors. THAT should eliminate several Repub voters from the rolls. Think I'll go out and get a gun.

[ktowntennesseedem]

15. In related news...

road-rage fatalities have increased ten-fold in recent weeks. When asked to comment about the situation, Gov. Bush replied that he felt threatened by the question...

[Rainbowreflect]

18. You owe me a new keyboard. LOL

:spray: :rofl:

[ktowntennesseedem]

25. Glad it was good for a laugh - sorry 'bout the keyboard!!!

:blush:

[slackmaster]

16. People might want to read the law before discussing it

This is supposedly a link to the actual text (subscription required): http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/10975798.htm

Here is an objective summary by DU contributor mosin: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=118&topic_id=102696#103629

[KG]

27. oops

[Misunderestimator]

17. Thank my lucky stars that I moved away when I did!

[Kathy in Cambridge]

19. Such an uncivilized state

:eyes:

it's the freakin' Wild West down there. I'm going to try to convince my parents to sell their winter place down there.

[Fescue4u]

20. Its going to make being a criminal dangerous work.

Sounds like criminals are going to have to stick to safe havens like Chicago and Washington DC where criminals are protected from law abiding citizens.

[Cyrano]

21. Not to mention people who tend to frown a lot.

[Fescue4u]

24. lol

Seriously though this law is getting alot of attention but most of its just hyperbole.

The only change is that this law joins florida with the majority of the states in removing the requirement to retreat from a criminal threat.

[LittleClarkie]

23. The thoughts I'm thinking at this moment

would get me arrested, so I'll just sit here quietly.

Jeb, ol' pal, that probably wasn't such a good idear.

[KG]

28. heck, whats the point of owning a gun if you can't ventilate somebody

for looking at you funny?

[PowerToThePeople]

31. If I am threatened?

Better not know you are GOP or...

oops, better not go there, CIA will stalk me.