Floridans can fight back...Legally!

Well, Florida has finally allowed its residents to legally “fight back”. The new law says a Floridian: “has the right to stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly force, if he or she reasonably feels it is necessary to do so to prevent death or great bodily harm”.

Oh, boy! The “anti-gun crowd” is going to go ballistic over this one! You see, Florida already has a “concealed carry” law. I can hear the arguments they’ll
use …with extreme examples, like “shoot-outs in the streets of Florida”, or any number of fear fanning extreme scenarios they can come up with to try to convince Floridians, and others, that it is wrong to fight back…. it is wrong to protect yourself, or your family, or you property.

Hopefully, the General Assembly of North Carolina is paying attention to the Florida State Legislature's move on this. A few years back the NC General Assembly passed a law, similar to a law in many states which requires that when one is attacked, one must seek to retreat, or flee, or, as we southerners would say: “haul a— outta there!”. The NC State Legislature had to back track on that law, because juries in North Carolina refused to find anyone guilty of breaking that law. Juries all over the state sent notes to judges stating that they felt that law was unconstitutional and, illegal, and therefore, they refused to prosecute, or find guilty those brought to court and charged with having broken that absolutely terrible law. As a result the State Legislature had to officially drop it, or resend it. In any event, it is gone.

Now, don’t get me wrong! Run if you must! But don’t tell a Southerner he, or she, must run when attacked. Oh, no! Such a law leaves a bitter, extremely sour, taste in a Southerner’s mouth. It goes against that Southern “Code of Honor”… a very real code of behavior in the South.

What the Florida Legislature did was to return the God-given right of self-defense. That’s a good thing.

At least one southern state allows the carrying of hand guns… without a permit, so long as the weapon is displayed openly, such as in a holster on your belt. But, the instant you put your coat on, over that weapon, you must have a “concealed carry” permit. (By the way, some 38 states now have “Concealed Carry” laws.)

Very few folks avail themselves of the “Open carry” right, but some do, and I have never heard of an adverse incident as a result of the privilege this particular state grants it’s citizens.

Look, if a person is bent on doing you bodily harm, and is forbidden the gun as a means to inflict that harm, he will find a way. He will find a weapon… a stick, a stone, a knife, whatever. Remember, Cain did not kill Abel with a gun!

So we salute the State Legislature of Florida for allowing it’s citizens to exercise the right of self-defense. They simply recognized the reality of the situation. That is, that most folks would rather stand, and fight, that run away like cowards.

The gun control crowd has been unusually quiet about this Florida legislation. I continue to wait for the weeping and wailing from the little darkened corner where they huddle in fear while the rest of us go about our daily lives in what we consider reasonable risk.

Florida is the first state to pass a law similar to this. There will be others. It is only a matter of time.

Way to go, Florida!

Your Obedient servant,

“Longstreet”