Florida Governor Jeb Bush has signed the so-called “Castle Doctrine” bill into law. This law removes the duty to retreat if you are being attacked, and instead allows an individual who is being attacked to meet force with force.
Keep that phrase in mind. “Meet force with force.” Doesn’t mean “shoot anyone who looks at you funny.” It means if you are being attacked by someone with a gun, you have the right to fight back, rather than turning your back and trying to run away.
David Hardy’s collected a number of news stories about the new law, and one thing immediately jumps out at me: references by opponents of this law that Florida will now become more like “The Wild West”.
As I’m sure you know, homicides in the “Wild West” were actually fairly rare. When gun control advocates say that a pro-gun law would turn “blank” into the Wild West, you might let them know that’s not such a bad thing.
Conversely, I think it’s fair to say (as Tim Graham of the MRC said on my show earlier today) that gun control laws could turn “blank” into Washington, D.C. And we all know how little crime there is in our nation’s capitol.
Cam,
Don’t use logic against anti-2nd Amendment bigots. It just makes them to foam at the mouth. ^_^ Great fact-digging on Wild West gun statistics, by the way.
I say if people look at you funny, git em’…that’s the old west way. I should know, I’m damned near old enough.
And if we’re talking turning X into D.C., keep the crack and mayors out of it
Wild west stats…….don’t get me wrong, I agree with the post, the new law, and will go along with the wild west stats; however, a logical thinking person would note that crime stats probably weren’t kept that accurately, if at all, in the wild west. If records were kept, chances are some of them may have been lost somehow. What were the standards of crime stats? The sheriff in Virginia City or Leadville might not give much thought to someone getting shot for stealing a horse or claim jumping. OTOH, an eastern Copper from Cincinnati might keep better records and have “higher” standards.
Having grown up in Coffeyville, KS, home of the Dalton Gang, and spending lots of time in the very hardware store that handed out rifles to citizens to shoot down and kill the Dalton gang I agree with the statement low crime rate because “primarily because almost everybody carried or possessed firearms and was willing to resist.”
Big Unit,
You’re probably right. I doubt records were THAT accurate back then, but it’s a thing of anti-2nd Amendment bigots lying about what “facts” are there to play on everybody’s TV-generation-spaghetti-western-gunfight-at-high-noon fears to suit their purposes when it’s been established otherwise (maybe it’s an illiteracy problem).
Even if gun crime stats were twice or three times what the recorded statistics say, it would still be a far cry from the way things are now, which is the point us 2A supporters are trying to make—The Wild West wasn’t that wild. We would do well to emulate early settlers’ resolve, courage, and wisdom in keeping and bearing arms in defense of our homes, our lives, and our liberty.
A couple of other things that were probably pretty rare in the Wild West: kidnappings and abuse of little girls and forced-starvations of adult women. Maybe the state will begin to become a little less criminal-friendly.
One little note: If the majority of Wyatt Earp’s significant gun experiances can be shown in a three hour movie, how wild could the West have been? Evidently, for the remaining seventy-nine years plus he didn’t have to kill anyone.
Woody
Yup Martin, they didn’t do that at all. The order of the day was amputation and opium! Yee haw!
Wow, another public school grad…
Public School, US Military service, then University at Central State (now UCO), then post-secondary grad at OU…and proud of it. You? You want to compare documented atrocities and societal norms of then compared to today? Seriously?
You can’t see sarcasm? To wit - “Another public school grad?”
Here we go again with Ben’s version of the patented John “I am a war hero” Kerry mentality that is supposed to, what, impress people? Ben must have forgotten I am the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. I’m printing out the document right now that proves it.
Never said I was a war hero, Kevin, that is you making shit up again. Remeber, you’re the fuck who questioned my patriotism. Talk about baudy without repercusions, you twit.
Just like I figured, another liberal whack job claiming to be a war hero. Which war hero movie did you watch, Ben? Sands of Iwo Jima? Bridge over the River Kwai? The Green Berets?