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Gun Control & RKBA
In reply to the discussion: EJ Dionne: Why the NRA pushes ‘Stand Your Ground’ [View all]Straw Man
(6,622 posts)48. Guess again.
The problem with the NRA is that they have no proposals to save lives, to discourage the wrongful use of guns. They seem to just want to sell guns. They educate on the use of guns. But they don't do enough to educate to discourage the misuse of guns.
The NRA courses in personal protection contain instruction on how to avoid dangerous confrontations as well as on the legal ramifications of using a firearm in self-defense. In the courses I took, we were told that shooting someone in self-defense, even when legally justified, will have a severe negative impact on one's life, entailing emotional trauma, social stigma, and potentially a civil lawsuit. It was stressed over and over that shooting is a last resort, undertaken only to save oneself from a life-threatening assault.
Pulling out your gun and shooting someone who is unarmed just because they hit you or argued or became angry with you is not acceptable.
Correct. And the SYG laws do not undermine that premise. You must have a reasonable fear that your life is in danger. The chief flaw is the subjective nature of the word "reasonable." I believe that what we will see in court cases are attempts to persuade juries that the shooter's actions were or were not "reasonable." As with most other jury decisions, community standards will prevail, for better or for worse. I personally think Zimmerman is in a whole lot of trouble, SYG law notwithstanding.
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SYG can be about *anything* used in self-defense, not just guns. (the same with castle doctrine).
X_Digger
Apr 2012
#53
Criminals do not seem generally keen to take safety, self-defense and anti-crime classes.
PavePusher
Apr 2012
#22
Your money should go toward that so that people like me who are on the fence,
JDPriestly
Apr 2012
#56
In my view, you should be able to defend yourself anywhere but not with a gun.
JDPriestly
Apr 2012
#60
They push it because it makes money.Sell guns to crazies, sell 'em to the sane to protect themselves
saras
Apr 2012
#4
wait... .006% of guns? what's the percentage of murders committed with guns?
Tunkamerica
Apr 2012
#8
There are 300,000,000 known guns owned by private citizens in the United States
GreydeeThos
Apr 2012
#9
why is that a relevant statistic? I think the more relevant stat is the one where the activity
Tunkamerica
Apr 2012
#10
Also, you just made the previous poster's point again. That doesn't get you extra
Tunkamerica
Apr 2012
#11
in the context of this debate the victim was in a public space where he had a right to be and
Tunkamerica
Apr 2012
#15
but to claim "selective editing" and then "slanted reporting" then taking the side of the shooter
Tunkamerica
Apr 2012
#20