October 4, 2005
In my home state of Florida, a new law just took effect which
strengthens the right of citizens to use deadly force in protecting
themselves. The new law has been nicknamed the "stand your ground"
statute, because it changes the state requirement that a person try to
avoid or escape an assailant before using deadly force.
As one can imagine, liberals throughout the State of Florida are
screaming their opposition to the new law. Last May, the Southern
Christian Leadership Conference held a protest in my home town of
Pensacola.
Not to be outdone, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence is
purchasing newspaper ads and handing out flyers at Florida
airports. Among the flyers' suggestions is one saying, "Do not argue
unnecessarily with local people."
Can anyone hear me laughing? I love it! I can only hope that the Brady
campaign will help deter a whole bunch of Yankees from
invading our good state thereby preventing further corruption from
Northern liberalism! We have more liberals than we need in this
state already, especially in the southern part of Florida. (There is a
saying in the Florida Panhandle, "The further South you go, the
further North you get." And it's true!)
The new law was sponsored by Florida State Senator Durell Peaden. He
defended the new law by saying, "With the awareness of all this, maybe
crime is dropping. The criminal element know this is out there." He
went on to say, " We need to do everything we can to preserve that
Second Amendment right." Hear! Hear!
Ever since Florida
passed its concealed carry law back in 1987, serious crime across the
state has plummeted. Furthermore, Florida's concealed carry law has
spawned similar laws in more than two thirds of the states across the
country, and crime rates nationwide reflect it. Crime rates are down to
their lowest levels in decades. In fact, the state with the lowest
crime rate in the country is a state which allows its citizens to carry
a concealed weapon without even requiring a permit: the state of
Vermont. It is also no coincidence that the cities and states with the
highest levels of violent crimes are those places that have the
strictest forms of gun control. Washington, D.C., Chicago, and New York
City come to mind.
Instead of ushering in "vigilante justice," as one liberal predicted,
the "stand your ground" law actually makes our state safer. One
can only hope that other states will follow suit.
Chuck Baldwin
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