Stand Your Ground????

[rogue06]

I don't know, I'd like to think I would have shot them in the legs, or hips. Just enough to stop them.

Always a good solution in movies where the good guy never misses. But irl, not so much. There is a reason why military and law enforcement trains people to target center mass.

[Starlight]

... he had an assault rifle? Why did he have an assault rifle? Did he lose his bazooka?

It's totally unreasonable that he wasn't allowed to defend himself with a nuke.

[seer]

Shooting someone in the legs or hips is not guaranteed to stop them and is not even that particularly "safe"; gun shots, even to non-critical organs, can easily be lethal, though not as quick as a shot to the heart (which, if successful, is guaranteed to stop them). Not only that, by aiming away from the chest, you increase the chance you won't hit them anywhere. That's a big part of why people aim for the heart; if you don't hit the target, you're much more likely to hit some part of their body.

If you're not shooting to kill, you shouldn't be shooting at someone at all.

Well first I'm an expert shot, and if a leg or hip wound didn't stop them I would go for center mass. If I was alone in the house I would risk it - to not take a life. Now if my grandkids were home all bets would be off.

[Carrikature]

What is wrong with the felony murder stuff? He was involved in a crime that resulted in people being killed. The law says anyone involved is guilty.

She. I know what the law says, but I don't support it. Intent should count for a lot, and it does in most criminal charges. One of the other major factors is reasonable expectation. These things get taken into consideration in drunk driving cases, for example. It's common for a drunk driver involved in a fatal crash to be charged with manslaughter. They can be charged with murder depending on circumstances and priors.

With felony murder, all this goes right out the window. Intent doesn't matter, an individual's level of involvement doesn't matter, and the circumstances of the event don't matter. None of the major factors in a typical case come into play. A burglary doesn't involve the expectation that someone is home. The driver of the getaway car may not even be aware that their compatriots are armed in any way. They might even be pressured or otherwise coerced into it. Again, none of this matters in a felony murder charge.

In this case, the lady came forward on her own to give details about what went down. Her reward? Getting slapped with three murder charges. It doesn't even sound like she was present for the burglary. Nothing about this looks like justice.

[rogue06]

Well first I'm an expert shot, and if a leg or hip wound didn't stop them I would go for center mass. If I was alone in the house I would risk it - to not take a life. Now if my grandkids were home all bets would be off.

I ranked expert as well, but that was decades ago and long before I needed glasses

[seer]

I ranked expert as well, but that was decades ago and long before I needed glasses

Like I said if the family was in the house all bets would be off, I would shoot to kill. But if I was alone I would try not to take their lives, even if they finally overcame me at least I have the assurance of stepping into eternity blessed, if I killed them chances are they would be lost forever. That would be a consideration for me.

[seer]

In this case, the lady came forward on her own to give details about what went down. Her reward? Getting slapped with three murder charges. It doesn't even sound like she was present for the burglary. Nothing about this looks like justice.

I agree, that charge does not make sense to me - I had to read it three times.

[Sparko]

... he had an assault rifle? Why did he have an assault rifle? Did he lose his bazooka?

People use AR-15's for sport/target shooting. They are very popular. They are amazingly fun to shoot. I shot one a few months ago at a friend's.

[Darth Executor]

... he had an assault rifle? Why did he have an assault rifle? Did he lose his bazooka?

Assault rifle is just a scary term for any rifle that can hold more than one bullet.

[Sparko]

Eh, I'm not sure about justified. Stand your ground laws are a good thing, but there doesn't seem to be much discernment in how they're applied. I'm totally against the felony murder stuff, though. I think it's beyond ridiculous.

I waffle on that. I think it should depend on the circumstances. If they know that they are going into a potentially deadly situation where someone else or themselves could get killed, I think it is justified. If they are committing a crime where there should be no danger and they are not armed but say one of them gets shot by the police, then no. but if they cause the death of an innocent person, or a police officer, in any crime, then I think they should face murder charges.

[Darth Executor]

She. I know what the law says, but I don't support it. Intent should count for a lot, and it does in most criminal charges. One of the other major factors is reasonable expectation. These things get taken into consideration in drunk driving cases, for example. It's common for a drunk driver involved in a fatal crash to be charged with manslaughter. They can be charged with murder depending on circumstances and priors.

With felony murder, all this goes right out the window. Intent doesn't matter, an individual's level of involvement doesn't matter, and the circumstances of the event don't matter. None of the major factors in a typical case come into play. A burglary doesn't involve the expectation that someone is home. The driver of the getaway car may not even be aware that their compatriots are armed in any way. They might even be pressured or otherwise coerced into it. Again, none of this matters in a felony murder charge.

In this case, the lady came forward on her own to give details about what went down. Her reward? Getting slapped with three murder charges. It doesn't even sound like she was present for the burglary. Nothing about this looks like justice.

I should qualify that my amen only holds if the girl was white and/or hot.

[rogue06]

Assault rifle is just a scary term for any rifle that can hold more than one bullet.

Assault rifle is a legitimate term it is just that most of those in the media don't know what it means.

Assault weapon, OTOH, was concocted to describe firearms that merely look scary. That is right. It does not based upon functionality, lethalness, or ammo capacity but is based solely on cosmetics. This was why several manufacturers simply slightly changed a firearm's appearance so it would no longer be considered an "assault weapon."

As for holding more than one bullet... The Thompson Contender is a handgun that can hold only one round at a time. You have to open it up, remove the spent round and reload it by hand, and close it before you can fire it a second time. Still, because a Senator and her aides were flipping through a catalog deciding which firearms looked scary and added the Thompson Contender to the list.

thompson-center-contender-1.jpg

[Darth Executor]

Assault rifle is a legitimate term

I know I was being sarcastic.

[Jedidiah]

She. I know what the law says, but I don't support it. Intent should count for a lot, and it does in most criminal charges. One of the other major factors is reasonable expectation. These things get taken into consideration in drunk driving cases, for example. It's common for a drunk driver involved in a fatal crash to be charged with manslaughter. They can be charged with murder depending on circumstances and priors.

With felony murder, all this goes right out the window. Intent doesn't matter, an individual's level of involvement doesn't matter, and the circumstances of the event don't matter. None of the major factors in a typical case come into play. A burglary doesn't involve the expectation that someone is home. The driver of the getaway car may not even be aware that their compatriots are armed in any way. They might even be pressured or otherwise coerced into it. Again, none of this matters in a felony murder charge.

In this case, the lady came forward on her own to give details about what went down. Her reward? Getting slapped with three murder charges. It doesn't even sound like she was present for the burglary. Nothing about this looks like justice.

Okay, I will go with that.

[Trout]

I'd rather beat them to death with a copy of "It Takes a Village".