Recently the state where I live, Florida, is threatened with still more liberal gun laws, at a time when we all should be striving to make guns less available. At the time of writing (Oct. 21, 2015) one committee in the state legislature has supported a measure that could make it easier for people to claim self-defense when shooting others under the already notorious “stand your ground” law.
The mother of seventeen-year-old Jordan Davis, who was shot dead in a dispute over loud music while sitting in a car at a Jacksonville gas station last year, has this to say about “stand your ground.”
“Stand your ground laws create a culture of shoot first and ask questions later. These laws embolden individuals to settle their conflicts by reaching for their firearms instead of using their words. And that is not what Florida needs. It needs common-sense gun laws.”
Another measure under consideration in the legislature would allow people who already have concealed-weapons permits to openly display the guns they are packing and to carry weapons on state college and university campuses. Numbers released earlier show that almost three-quarters of Floridians—73 %—oppose allowing students with concealed-weapons licenses to carry guns on campuses.
Surveys revealing large numbers of Americans opposed to the craziness of gun laws at least give us some hope. Sooner or later (we hope sooner) good sense will finally prevail, and we will make a beginning toward solving the horrendous problems in our gun-crazed culture.
ROBERT BOWIE 