(no subject)

[theweaselking]

Florida passes law barring prosecution in self-defence cases - it's now legal to use force if you feel threatened, and lethal force if you feel it necessarily, regardless of your current location.

This is not inherently a bad idea, but it's *FLORIDA*. I expect some geriatric with a .44 to shoot kids playing basketball because he was afraid they *might* mug him, and claim self-defense under this law that says he's got no obligation to avoid or defuse the situation, and that makes the standard of decision his *belief*.

Comments

[sivi-volk.livejournal.com]

w00t!

There goes the standard of the "reasonable man".

(Yes, I know this standard is typically applied in civil law, but judicial decisions tend to spread around).

[thathatedguy.livejournal.com]

Florida scares me.

Pre-Emptive Strike

[unnamed525.livejournal.com]

Let's get some shotgun, go to Florida, and start shooting people that look at us funny. We can just say we thought they might be carrying a gun and might try to shoot us, so we had to fire first.

[unnamed525.livejournal.com]

I just read the article. Actually, the law just allows you to meet force with force, that is, you do not have a duty to retreat if you are attacked. That's something I can agree with.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Like I said, it's not *inherently* a bad law - but it removes all requirements to leave or defuse a situation, and prohibits prosecution for use of force as long as you believe the force is necessary for your or someone else's protection.

This is a scary kind of rule to make, especially in The Land Of Idiots Florida.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Addendum: And this isn't in your home, or your car. This is in the street. This is making it legal to walk up to a bad situation, insert yourself in the middle, and hurt or kill people because you think they *might* hurt somebody when they object to your presence.

This is license, in fact, to loudly proselytize in public, and to be immune from prosecution when you *beat* anyone who objects to your presence in a way that you can construe as potentially threatening.

[ryusen.livejournal.com]

yeah... the principle is good, but it has some potential pitfalls