Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Thursday, January 30, 2014

The NRA Is Directly Behind A Bill Loosening Florida's 'Stand Your Ground' Law

Lawmakers are aiming to expand Florida's "stand your ground" law with the help of a top NRA lobbyist.

Gawker's Adam Weinstein reported that S.B. 448, which would protect someone who fires warning shots or waves a weapon when they feel threatened, was written by Marion Hammer, a former NRA president.

The bill would amend the current law, which permits residents to use deadly force under certain circumstances, to allow the "threatened use of force." Gun owners couldn't be arrested for brandishing a gun or firing warning shots. The legislation also could lead to more permissive open-carry laws or lighter requirements for gun licensing.

If passed, S.B. 448 would apply "immunity provisions that relate to the use of force to the threatened use of force," meaning that gun owners wouldn't be subject to state "10-20-life" laws mandating an automatic 10-year sentence for anyone convicted of flashing or using a gun in the commission of a felony.

The "10-20-life" law was passed in 1999. Ironically, Gawker noted, the NRA supported that bill at the time.

The legislation was partially inspired by the case of Marissa Alexander. The Jacksonville woman was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2012 after firing a gun near her estranged husband during an argument two years before. Alexander is scheduled to have a new trial this year after the original conviction was thrown out by an appeals court.

An effort to repeal the stand your ground law in the wake of George Zimmerman's acquittal in the Trayvon Martin murder trial failed in November. The Republican-led Florida House Criminal Justice Subcommittee voted against a measure proposed by state Rep. Alan Williams (D). Zimmerman was acquitted in July of fatally shooting 17-year-old Martin during a confrontation in the community where Zimmerman was a neighborhood watch volunteer.

The new S.B. 448 passed every committee that reviewed it in the Legislature, and has 42 House co-sponsors, including 11 Democrats. It passed out of the state's Senate Judiciary Committee on a unanimous vote earlier this month.

Original Article
Source: huffingtonpost.com/
Author: The Huffington Post  |  By Samantha Lachman

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