Liberal writer: Gun owners killing in self-defense deprives attackers’ rights to fair trial
A writer for the Huffington Post noted in a recent piece — “A Revision on the Bill of Rights, Part III” — that the Second Amendment certainly gives Americans the right to “carry and have a stockpile of guns.”
But Justin Curmi seems to have a bit of an issue with the right to “self-defend with a firearm.”
“The main problem with the notion of self-defense is it imposes on justice, for everyone has the right for a fair trial,” he writes. “Therefore, using a firearm to defend oneself is not legal because if the attacker is killed, he or she is devoid of his or her rights.”
It isn’t completely clear if Curmi — who graduated from Baruch College in New York City with a philosophy degree — is indeed waxing philosophic here, as countless cases demonstrate that killing with a firearm in self-defense is perfectly legal. But apart from that, many would scoff at his assertion that attackers lose their fair-trial rights if their victims fatally shoot them.
In the same paragraph, he jumps into “mental capacity” as a “major factor in deciding” if one has the right to have a gun.
“There are two reasons for ensuring mental capacity,” Curmi argues. “First, one of the Five Aims is to ensure domestic tranquility and there can be no tranquility if one does not have the capacity. Second, if one’s brain is distorting his or her reality, they do not have the proper reasoning and deduction skills to use a firearm.”
Curmi goes on to argue against gun ownership in general.
“A gun for civilians is a weapon for a revolution and not for ordinary use,” he writes. “The belief that a gun is a useful tool to protect one is counterintuitive because guns get into the hands of people who use them for horrible reasons.”
Let that one sink in for a second.
Curmi concludes with mentions about the difficulty of firing guns in stressful situations, how the U.S. government is lobbied to not study or fund research about the effects of guns and that a study showed classroom participants performed poorly in a mock situation with a gun in a classroom.
(H/T: Allen B. West)
Gun owner turns tables on gas station robber, won’t face charges
A motorist at a gas station in Elmwood Park, Illinois, who shot and killed a potential robber who approached his vehicle last month, will not face charges because he acted in self-defense, police say.
According to authorities, Ronald Morales, 43, initially made eye contact with the motorist from inside the convenience store as the man pumped gas. After pumping gas, the motorist climbed back into his vehicle when surveillance video shows Morales approaching the man’s vehicle on the passenger side.
Morales pulled out a firearm and after opening and closing the passenger-side door, he thrust his gun inside the window of the car as he spoke to the man.
Video of the incident shows the motorist, who told police he feared for his life, quickly exiting the vehicle with his own gun as he stood up and began firing at Morales. The two exchanged gunfire for several seconds before Morales fled the scene on foot and the driver of the vehicle sped off.
Authorities said Morales suffered multiple bullet wounds and died from his injuries and that no charges will be filed in the incident.
Police said that the gas station’s “state-of-the-art” surveillance system was crucial in their determination not to press any charges, because, they said, the video footage obtained clearly shows the driver was acting in self-defense and corroborates the driver’s story and eyewitness accounts.
In 2013, Illinois became the 50th and final state to implement a firearm concealed carry law after state lawmakers voted to override the governor’s veto on the Firearm Concealed Carry Act. Residents of Illinois may carry a concealed weapon after obtaining an Illinois concealed carry license.
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