Quote:
|
The fact of obvious retreat is not a "fine distinction".
|
It absolutely is a fine distinction,,,
Especially in the heat of the moment,,,
When a person is in the middle of being assaulted,,,
How can he or she be expected to care about anything but defense?
Victims are thrust into a situation of violence,,,
They do not ask to be victimized by violent assault,,,
So why does our society expect them to act rationally in that scenario.
I know what the law says,,,
But the law errs on the side of the criminals rights.
Just a few years ago I read a story about a man who was attacked,,,
The assailant knocked the man flat on his back,,,
The victim was able to draw is gun and fire.
He was charged with manslaughter,,,
Because he hit the assailant in the back,,,
The assailant saw the gun and turned to flee,,,
But the victim was already pulling the trigger in defense.
How in the heck do we expect people to act that calmly,,,
Our society lets a uniformed officer kill a young teenage boy,,,
Because the kid had an airsoft rifle and the cop "thought" it was real.
No one demanded such a high level of discretion from the officer,,,
And he is supposed to be a highly trained professional.
Why do we even consider demanding a higher level of discretion from a victim.
In 1961 in Oklahoma City a woman woke up in the middle of the night,,,
She heard someone in the living room and thought it might be her son or daughter.
She got her pistol and went to investigate,,,
She encountered a man and immediately shot him dead.
It was enough that the man was an illegal intruder in her home.
No further justification or explanation was necessary.
The shooting was documented and she was not charged with a crime,,,
But in our society now the authorities would be asking her,,,
Did the person threaten or point a weapon at you?
That is the difference I have seen develop in my 62 year lifetime,,,
All because of a misguided tendency to be more "civilized",,,
Society has given criminals more right than their victims.
I think it's wrong,,,
It's as simple as that.
My thought is that people who enforce/legislate these policies,,,
Have never been the victim of a violent assault.
They wrongly believe they would react calmly and rationally,,,
So they decide our judicial policies on that false basis.
It's as wrong as disarming a populace for "the common good".
Look people, I'm not trying to change anyone's mind,,,
I'm simply stating what my opinion of the current state of affairs is.
Aarond
.