For the second time in five days Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies have seized, with consent, two unrelated individuals’ weapons for safekeeping after incidents involving excessive grief or hallucinations, and fear among cops or relatives of the individuals involved that they could harm themselves if their weapons were left in their possession.
Second Amendment
Florida National Guard Stalls Proposal to Let Residents Carry Unlicensed Weapons During Emergencies
Concerns expressed by the Florida National Guard stalled an NRA-backed Senate proposal that would allow people without concealed-weapons licenses to carry concealed firearms when forced outside in times of emergency.
Senate Panel Unanimously Approves Minor Changes to Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law
The bill would clarify that a law enforcement agency must fully investigate whether a person claiming self-defense has lawfully used force. It also would no longer preclude lawsuits from third parties who are injured by negligent conduct used in self-defense.
Sheriff Jim Manfre: How To Restore Common Sense to Stand Your Ground
The public’s valid concern over the vigilante-style actions of certain people who have watched too many Western movies should be dealt with through legislative action, argues Sheriff Jim Manfre, starting with a definition of self-defense that doesn;t leave its determination in the perpetrator’s hands.
Denying Service to Gays and Lesbians: Right of Conscience Vigilantism Meets Stand Your Ground
Bills in four states that would let businesses deny service to gays and lesbians on religious-freedom grounds are based on the same faulty justification of Stand Your Ground laws on self-defense grounds. In both cases, the 1st and 2nd Amendments are perverted into defenses of vigilantism rather than protection of rights.
Lock and Load: NRA-Willing, Florida Legislature Takes On Slew of New Gun Legislation
Bills dealing with toaster pastries and insurance policies are just two of more than a dozen gun-related measures lined up for the 2014 legislative session that starts Tuesday. As in previous years, many of them will go nowhere, especially if Marion Hammer, the National Rifle Association’s powerful Florida lobbyist, doesn’t like them.
Stand Your Ground: Florida is Not My Castle. And It’s Not Yours, Either.
The right to stand one’s ground against aggression in one’s home is unquestioned, but, argues Julie Delegal, in public, spaces must be shared, peacefully. The castle doctrine cannot be extended to cover the entire state, as Florida’s Stand Your Ground law does.
Russian Roulette: Gun Owners and Their Temperament
The decision to keep a gun handy makes you a bad risk—not only for insurance companies, but for those of us who feel we have a right to go to the movies, the mall, or sit in our own backyard without having to worry about a gun owner whose bursitis is acting up or who is simply having a bad day.
Florida Supreme Court Orders Review of Lethal Injection Cocktail Ahead of Feb. 26 Execution
Before the scheduled execution of inmate Paul Augustus Howell on Feb. 26, Justices have ordered a circuit court to hold an evidentiary hearing on whether substitution of the drug midazolam violates the constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment by the government.
NRA-Backed Bill Would End Zero-Tolerance Punishment of Students Play-Acting Guns at School
The NRA-backed measure by Florida House Judiciary Chairman Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, would prevent children from being disciplined for simulating a gun while playing or wearing clothes that depict firearms.
Florida Lawmakers Would Stiffen Penalties On Insurers Discriminating Against Gun Owners
Insurance companies could face tougher penalties if they impose higher rates, refuse to issue or cancel auto or homeowner policies due to gun ownership, under a measure backed by a House committee Tuesday.
Judge J. Michael Traynor’s Alarming Equivalence Between an Attempted Murderer and His Victim
When Judge J. Michael Traynor sentenced Nathaniel Juratovac to four years in prison for the attempted murder of Flagler County firefighter Jared Parkey last week, the judge managed to blame both men for the violent incident that led them to the courtroom, a stunning and immoral leveling of blame in a state that too easily excuses gun violence.
Double-Murder Charge Dropped as Stand Your Ground May Head for Supreme Court Review
The 3rd District Court of Appeals ruling Thursday overturned a lower court’s second-degree murder conviction of Gabriel Mobley outside a Chili’s restaurant in Opa-Locka, and could once again put Florida’s first-in-the nation “stand your ground” law and its meaning before the Florida Supreme Court.
Warning Shot Bill: Public Defenders Back a Revised Version of Marissa Alexander-Inspired Measure
Polk County Rep. Neil Combee sponsored the 2013 bill after hearing about Marissa Alexander, a Jacksonville woman who was sentenced to 20 years in prison under the 10-20-Life sentencing law for firing a gun into a wall during a fight with her husband. Combee said her sentence was an example of the “negative unintended consequences” of 10-20-Life, which requires mandatory-minimum prison terms for gun-related crimes.
Court Strikes Down University of North Florida Ban on Guns in Vehicles Parked on Campus
Alexandria Lainez, a business student at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, is celebrating. On Tuesday, the District Court of Appeal for the First District in Tallahassee upheld her challenge of a UNF rule banning firearms on campus. The full court voted 12-3 to overturn a Duvall Circuit Court decision that had upheld the university’s ban.
Warning-Shot Bill Gaining Support In Spite of Police Opposition and Fears of Vigilantism
Rep. Neil Combee’s Warning Shot Bill under a new guise would amend the “stand your ground” self-defense law and permit people to display guns, threaten to use them or fire warning shots if they were being attacked and feared for their lives. It was inspired by the fate of Marissa Alexander, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for firing a warning shot at her abusive husband.
Liberty County Sheriff Nick Finch Acquitted in Ideology-Fraught Gun Case
The criminal charges and suspension came after a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation concluded that the sheriff released a local man, Floyd Eugene Parrish, who had been arrested for carrying a concealed weapon, and that Finch destroyed or altered records of the arrest.
Florida’s Stand Your Ground Deconstructed Before US Senate Panel on Civil and Human Rights
The unusual Senate hearing focused almost exclusively on Florida, featured the mothers of two 17 year olds killed in its name–Trayvon martin and Jordan Russell Davis–and drew a rebuke from Ranking Republican Ted Cruz of Texas, who questioned whether the scrutiny of “stand your ground” was part of a broader “political agenda.”
Sheriff Nick Finch Trial Under Way: He’s Accused of Destroying Documents to Protect a Gun Owner
A Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation found that Nick Finch on March 8 released a local man who had been arrested for carrying a concealed firearm, a third degree felony, and altered or destroyed corresponding documents. Gov. Rick Scott removed Finch.
Sparks, Nevada
Today, a DUI not only can earn you prison time, but also can thwart your education options and permanently alter your career aspirations. Drunken drivers are punished by a torrent of national condemnation. Why can we not summon the same collective rage when it comes to guns?
Senate Proposal Would Bar “Aggressors” From Using Stand Your Ground; Approval Unlikely
Prompted by a national outcry over George Zimmerman’s acquittal this summer in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, a Florida Senate committee gave approval to minor changes in the state’s “stand your ground” law. But whether a Legislature dominated by gun-loving lawmakers will ultimately sign off on a bipartisan compromise remains a long shot.
Appeal Court Orders New Trial for Marissa Alexander, But No Redo on Stand Your Ground
Marissa Alexander, a 32-year-old mother of three, was convicted on improper self-defense instructions to the jury, the court ruled. Alexander was serving a 20-year sentence for shooting a gun during an argument with her abusive husband, against whom she had a restraining order.
Glory Glory Hallelujah: Another Mass Shooting, and the NRA Marches On
To propose reasonable, sane gun laws amid the gun lobby’s arsenal of lies, distortions and demagoguery has become pointless, argues Steve Robinson, as the nation picks up the wreckage of Aaron Alexis and the Navy Yard shooting.
Cabinet Passes, for Now, on Pardoning Marissa Alexander, Pending Stand Your Ground Appeal
Alexander, a 32-year-old mother of three, was sentenced to 20 years in prison last year after firing a shot into a wall during a dispute with her abusive husband, a case that stands in sharp contrast with George Zimmerman’s not-guilty verdict after he shot and killed an unarmed teen.
Trayvon Martin Solidarity March in Palm Coast Saturday as Protests Elsewhere Continue
The Saturday morning march in Trayvon Martin’s memory is being organized by Valerie Ottley, a retired Palm Coast resident of 22 years who is herself a neighborhood watch coordinator. The march will start at 8:30 a.m. at Kohl’s on Belle Terre Parkway and follow a course down Palm Coast Parkway to U.S.1 and back.
Students Stage Sit-In at Gov. Scott’s Office, Demanding Special Session on Florida’s Gun Laws
The students, part of a group called the Dream Defenders, said they’re responding to the “not guilty” verdict in the trial of George Zimmerman, want a special legislative session addressing laws such as Florida’s “stand your ground” self-defense provision they say unfairly affect minority youth.
Zimmerman’s Gunshine State: White Man’s Verdict, Black Men’s Burden
Zimmerman is a free man, but his legacy should not be that he was “right” to do what he did. He should be viewed as the sad, angry embodiment of the fear and paranoia that would have us believe that owning a gun and using a gun are equal and inseparable rights.
Another Floridian Goon With a Gun
The story of Jerome Hayes’s murder of Fred Turner on I-4 Saturday in a supposed case of “mistaken identity” evokes rage at the case of yet another Floridian hothead–following in the footsteps of George Zimmerman, Jacksonville’s Michael Dunn and Flagler Beach’s Paul Miller– whose temper would not have been an issue had it not been loaded in the chamber of a firearm.
The Agonizing Over, Gov. Scott Signs Bill to Restrict Gun Buying from Mentally Ill
Gov. Rick Scott defended his support for the Second Amendment as he signed a narrowly-focused firearms bill into law Friday, making it harder for the mentally ill to buy guns. The bill (HB 1355) blocks firearms purchases by some people who voluntarily admit themselves for mental-health treatment.
With Opposing Gun Lobbies Taking Aim at Him, Gov. Scott Mulls Over Firearm Sales Bill
Gov. Rick Scott is being flooded with calls and emails about a bill that would stop some gun sales, and whichever course he chooses could be risky as he runs for re-election.
Watch Live: George Zimmerman Trial
Live gavel-to-gavel coverage of the George Zimmerman on a charge of second-degree murder of Trayvon Martin. We have the NBC and WFTV news feeds.
NRA Bragging Rights: Arrogant, Mercenary, Irresponsible
The NRA used to be a gun-safety group. Now it tells us we need to be armed in order to fight our own government, writes Steve Robinson, obscuring the responsibilities of gun ownership while legitimizing fringe fanatics. Paul Miller’s murder of Dana Mulhall in Flagler Beach is our own Exhibit A of this dangerous trend.
Gun Zealots Attack Scott For Replacing Sheriff Arrested in Concealed Weapon Misconduct
The governor is face criticism from Second Amendment advocates for his suspension of Liberty County Sheriff Nicholas Lee Finch, who allegedly destroyed documents tied to the arrest of a man charged with carrying a concealed firearm.
Media Descend on Florida for Zimmerman Trial Amid Duels of Fact and Prejudice
With 200 news organizations expected in Sanford for the second-degree murder trial of George Zimmerman, which starts Monday with jury selection, Florida is in an unwelcome spotlight again in the racially charged case, with likely far-reaching consequences.
George Zimmerman’s Murder Trial of Trayvon Martin: About Race, Pure and Simple
The George Zimmerman trial starting June 10 isn’t about self-defense or vigilantism or gun rights. It’s about race, pure and simple, argues Steve Robinson. For proof, we need look no further than at the strategy being pursued by Zimmerman’s defense.
Miller Trial Turns to 5 Bullets’ Paths, Mulhall’s Last Moments–and Blood-Alcohol (0.188)
Paul Miller, accused of murdering Dana Mulhall, looked away or closed his eyes for the first time in the now-three-day-old trial as images of the bloodied and shot Dana Mulhall were placed on an easel for the jury to see and the prosecution to analyze with witnesses Wednesday morning. The defense takes up its case in the afternoon.
As Jury Is Seated in Paul Miller Murder Trial, Questions About Guns Weed Out Prospects
The most anticipated trial of the year—of Paul Miller, the 66-year-old Flagler Beach man accused of murdering his neighbor Dana Mulhall last year during an argument over Miller’s barking dogs—began Monday with jury selection, which by day’s end had seated an all-white jury of three men and three women, plus three alternates (a woman and two men, one of them black).
Gun Zealots Urging Scott to Veto Firearm-Regulation Bill Even the NRA Supports
The bill closes a legal gap, as state law already bars firearms purchases by people who are involuntarily committed under the Baker Act. This one focuses on people who are found to be an “imminent danger” and face the possibility of being involuntarily committed if they do not admit themselves.
Altered States: Now Lefty Hollywood Is Protesting Gun Control in Gotham
Movie-makers opposing New York’s recently passed gun-control laws are upset that they may have to use props instead of real firearms in films, a a blatant admission from people we call “creative,” , argues Steve Robinson, that without endless, massive gunfire there are no stories to be told, no issues to explore, no human experiences to illuminate.
Paul Miller’s Stand-Your-Ground Trial Over Dana Mulhall Killing Set for May 20
Paul Miller’s trial will be the first Stand Your Ground case in Flagler County since the controversial law was enacted in 2005. The trial before Circuit Court Judge J. David Walsh may take two weeks.
Gun Worship’s Perversion: Just Don’t Call 10,000 Murders a Year “Terrorism”
Between the Boston bombing and the Senate’s rejection of gun-control legislation, the moral is that “terrorism” is unacceptable violence, but the 30 daily murders by gun is quite acceptable. So gun-worship’s perversions live on.
Democratic Lawmakers Complain that Gun-Control Proposals Are Being Silenced
No one expects any major gun control legislation to pass in Florida’s GOP-controlled Legislature, but Rep. Cynthia Stafford said there should be at least a discussion of the issue. There hasn’t been much of one.
Banning Internet Cafes While Gambling on Guns
Florida is quick on the trigger to ban Internet cafes, which have never killed anyone, but is doing nothing to rein in the state’s worship of guns, while 191 people have been killed by firearms in this state alone since the Newtown massacre.
In the Trenches: Anger and Questions From Doctors Who Treat Gunshot Victims
In Colorado, where more people die from gunshots than car crashes, the victims have a profound effect on the physicians who treat them. For some of the doctors on the front lines, the experiences lead to a strong opposition to guns, questions about gun laws and even activism.
Lawmakers File Bill to Require Background Checks on All Gun Buys, Closing Loophole
Rep. Lori Berman said Wednesday that about 40 percent of gun sales are at gun shows or done on the Internet, allowing the buyer to complete the purchase without going through any background screening as would be required at a storefront gun dealership.
Lawmakers Considering Arming Teachers and Adding Warning Shots to Stand Your Ground
Florida’s self defense law would say people can fire warning shots to fend off attackers without fear of prosecution and teachers would be able to pack heat on campus under bills now before legislators.
What Researchers Learned About Gun Violence Before Congress Killed Funding
President Obama has directed the Centers for Disease Control to research gun violence as part of his legislative package on gun control. The CDC hasn’t pursued this kind of research since 1996 when the National Rifle Association lobbied Congress to cut funding for it.
Task Force Stands Its Ground Against Changing Florida’s Castle Doctrine Law
The panel charged by Gov. Rick Scott with reviewing the state’s ‘stand your ground’ self-defense law did not recommend any major changes to the statute, although it did make suggestions for tweaks by the Legislature in the upcoming session.
Flagler Has Its Own Stand Your Ground Case As Paul Miller Invokes It in Mulhall Shooting
Doug Williams, defense attorney for Paul Miller, the 66-year-old Flagler Beach resident who shot and killed unarmed neighbor Dana Mulhall in an argument last year, will try to dismiss the second degree murder charge against Miller by invoking Florida’s stand your ground law. But The defense faces an uphill battle, and the move may be merely tactical ahead of the trial.
Blaming the Gun-Violence Epidemic On Mental Illness Doesn’t Begin to Resolve It
With a startling personal revelation of her own, Milissa Holland argues in her latest column that if mental illness is to be a focus of gun control, it must be much better defined–and far more de-stigmatized. Otherwise, it’s a shield behind which politicians will do nothing.