Florida tourists warned of new gun law

[__Kratos__]

MIAMI, Florida (AP) -- Clark Ramm sees shades of the Wild West in Florida's new law giving greater legal protections to people who shoot or use other deadly force when threatened or attacked.

"It seems like everybody ought to be packing a piece," said Ramm, a visitor from Ukiah, California. "I don't know if that's the right thing to do."

Ramm and other tourists found out about the law Monday from a gun control group handing out leaflets at Miami International Airport.

The leaflets begin with the words "An Important Notice to Florida Visitors" in bold red type by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

"Do not argue unnecessarily with local people," it says. "If someone appears to be angry with you, maintain to the best of your ability a positive attitude, and do not shout or make threatening gestures."

Florida's "stand your ground" law, which took effect Saturday, removes a duty on the part of citizens to retreat in the face of an attack as long as they are in a place they have a legal right to be, including a public street or their place of business.

It also gives immunity from criminal or civil charges to a shooter as long as the person shot is not a police officer.

Proponents of the measure, pushed by the National Rifle Association, say it will make Florida a safer place, not more dangerous. Gov. Jeb Bush has repeatedly pointed to a 34-year low in state crime statistics to demonstrate that Florida is not a haven for violence.

"It's pure, unadulterated politics," Bush said last week of the Brady Campaign's tactics. "Shame on them."

The Florida tourism industry, however, is taking the campaign seriously. Visit Florida, the state's official tourism marketing arm, issued a statement calling Florida "a very safe and secure destination that excels in caring for its visitors."

The statement said: "We believe that Americans and international visitors are smart enough to understand that the Brady Campaign is one group's political agenda and not a real safety issue."

Florida hosts more than 1 million visitors on any given day, with nearly 80 million tourists visiting the state in 2004, according to Visit Florida.

The Brady Campaign leaflets, which the group intends to hand out for about a month at the Miami and Orlando airports, call the measure the "Shoot First" law and urge people to "take sensible precautions" while visiting the state.

"There is no other state in the nation -- and no other civilized nation on Earth -- that has a law like this," said Brady Campaign spokesman Peter Hamm. "It could cause the most aggressive people in society to overreact."

The group also has taken out ads in major Detroit, Chicago, Boston and London newspapers about the new Florida law.

Several people handed leaflets at the Miami airport on Monday appeared taken aback by the new law.

"It's a little scary," said Melissa Vosberg, on her way home to the Chicago area after a cruise in the Bahamas. "It's 'shoot first, ask about it later."'

Source

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Gun control loonies blowing it way out of proportion to get attention. It's no different then me going around with fliers screaming "aahhh stay inside, lightning will strike you!"

"It's a little scary," said Melissa Vosberg

Yeah, I bet it is even scarier to have to live in fear to run away. Stand your ground is excellent and I hope it moves out to other states.

[Shivel]

So the people of florida now have the right to shoot someone when they feel it necessary? What happens when a paranoid loony takes advantage of this?

[The Silver Thong]

this is totaly insane, I see trouble in Florida, I'll just fly right over florida on my next vacation to Cuba.

[Celumnaz]

didn't this happen a while back already? Like, isn't this old news? I can't seem to open the source, dumb browser keeps crashing.

[__Kratos__]

So the people of florida now have the right to shoot someone when they feel it necessary? What happens when a paranoid loony takes advantage of this?

I think you should have a right to defend yourself. And other laws will be in effect as well.

this is totaly insane, I see trouble in Florida, I'll just fly right over florida on my next vacation to Cuba.

That's your choice.

didn't this happen a while back already? Like, isn't this old news? I can't seem to open the source, dumb browser keeps crashing.

Nah, it was posted today on CNN.com

Tuesday, October 4, 2005; Posted: 9:55 a.m. EDT (13:55 GMT)

Try copy and pasting the link:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/10/04/deadly.force.ap/index.html

[Nxt2Hvn]

I think you should have a right to defend yourself. And other laws will be in effect as well.

Me too... as I carry my 9mm in my car at all times!

[Celumnaz]

Ahh finally got to it!

Date's today... when did the law go into effect? Today?

[I am me]

So the people of florida now have the right to shoot someone when they feel it necessary? What happens when a paranoid loony takes advantage of this?

what happens when a paranoid loony does it period? they do that sort of thing no matter the gun laws.

this will indeed make florida safer. freedom = safety though it may seem backwards.

[__Kratos__]

Ahh finally got to it!

Date's today... when did the law go into effect? Today?

Florida's "stand your ground" law, which took effect Saturday,

Just took the gun control loonies a couple days to print out sheets.

[Celumnaz]

ugh, that's what I get for reading things too quick... thanks hehe... I thought I had heard it somewhere before today...

I got caught up in the editorialization of the news in this article. What about "News" includes "Wild Wild West"... not trying to give people any ideas are they? Pick any person, 10 people, 100 people... I wonder how many it took them to get that quote: "It's a little scary," said Melissa Vosberg, on her way home to the Chicago area after a cruise in the Bahamas. "It's 'shoot first, ask about it later."'

And then leaving out the part where she said that it was a good law though and supports it fully... did she say that? <snicker>

[Mekorig]

Has someone say, its a little scary . It isn't enough trust in you police corp, or are they soo bad in their job that a law permitting civilians to shoot if they sense threathned?

[__Kratos__]

Has someone say, its a little scary . It isn't enough trust in you police corp, or are they soo bad in their job that a law permitting civilians to shoot if they sense threathned?

Police can't be every where at once. If they could be... well crime wouldn't be to high.

[bboy]

Police can't be every where at once. If they could be... well crime wouldn't be to high.

Exactly, everytime someone brings that up I roll my eyes. If someone wants to do harm, they are going to do it, the police aren't always within shouting distance. It would make a bad criminal to break the law, when the law is present......

[HotDogBun]

go to www.justfacts.com

it;s a site dedicated to just compiling data on a number of issues and it doesnt have any real agenda... anyways, go there and read the statistics on gun control / gun ownership. It pretty much shows that concealed carry laws reduce crime (in particular in florida, in mniami in the mid eighties they legalized concealed carry and publicized the new rights quite a bit, which led to a HUGE decrease in the number of rapes, etc.) and the data basically debunks the gun control advocates on a molecular level.

[sanchera1978]

It does actualy reduce the crime rate in alot of cities. Most people that commit crimes for a living already carry guns and have no respect for the law. So allowing regular citzens to carry a gun is a good idea it makes the criminals think twice before harming someone else if there's the possibility that they might be the one's getting shot. Its easy to rob from someone that is defenseless totally different trying to rob someone that has a gun too. I know it seems like it would be total chaos but people who are stupid enough to shoot someone for no reason tend not to follow the law anyway... Here in colorado you can carry a concealed weapon as long as you dont have any felonies and take take some gun safety courses.

[bathory]

Has someone say, its a little scary . It isn't enough trust in you police corp, or are they soo bad in their job that a law permitting civilians to shoot if they sense threathned?

policing does very little to prevent crimes like assault and murder, they can only find the person who killed you after the fact.

[Shivel]

what happens when a paranoid loony does it period? they do that sort of thing no matter the gun laws.

this will indeed make florida safer. freedom = safety though it may seem backwards.

What I meant was: Now that the loonies have permission to do it, it will happen more often.

You can argue that it will make florida safer all you like, but there are still very serious dangers to it.

[scoobysnack]

First of all Kratos, I love how you call anyone who doesn't think like you crazy, kooky, or loony. I get blasted for that, when ever I do it. With that said, I agree with you, so I guess I'm not a loony !

policing does very little to prevent crimes like assault and murder, they can only find the person who killed you after the fact.

Exactly, and if you want a cop around all the time you want a police state, where you have no rights. Only the public servants or as they're called today, "authorities" (cops) can carry guns.

Imagine if we banned all fire arms. Anyone who had a gun would be considered a criminal. Instead of relying on ourselves for protection, now we will have to rely on the police to protect us from the criminals who own the guns. Who will protect you from the military when they dismantle the bill of rights in favor of a more secure military rule, after the next terrorist attack. Who will protect you when they come for you to ship you off to the reeducation camps, they are setting up. The only ones who will own guns are the authorities and the criminals. I don't own a gun, but support the right to own a gun.

But then again, those who live by the gun die by the gun. I will likely die a true martyr.

"The right of citizens to bear arms is just one more guarantee against arbitrary government, one more safeguard against the tyranny which ... historically has proven to be always possible." - United States Senator Hubert Humphrey

The disarming of legal American citizens, is the final step garunteeing a police state. Thanks to the controled lefty, Michael Moore, Americans think guns are out of control. Well, yes and no. You are actually more likely to be a victim of a violent crime in England then you are in America.

Britain, Australia top U.S. in violent crime

Rates Down Under increase despite strict gun-control measures

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article....RTICLE_ID=21902

Law enforcement and anti-crime activists regularly claim that the United States tops the charts in most crime-rate categories, but a new international study says that America's former master -- Great Britain -- has much higher levels of crime.

The percentage of the population that suffered "contact crime" in England and Wales was 3.6 percent, compared with 1.9 percent in the United States and 0.4 percent in Japan.

Analysts in the U.S. were quick to point out that all of the other industrialized nations included in the survey had stringent gun-control laws, but were overall much more violent than the U.S.

People here don't understand the concept of gradualism. The slow and steady chipping away of our constitutional rights. What happens after they ban guns? Do you think it will stop there? Hell no! Do you know in England, they are trying to ban kitchen knives becuase they are used in crimes in place of guns.

Doctors' kitchen knives ban call

A&E doctors are calling for a ban on long pointed kitchen knives to reduce deaths from stabbing.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4581871.stm

The researchers said there was no reason for long pointed knives to be publicly available at all.

They consulted 10 top chefs from around the UK, and found such knives have little practical value in the kitchen.

[Celumnaz]

What you're calling "gradualism" I've been calling incrementalism for years. But yeah, agree with what you're saying.

[PadawanOsswe]

I'm so glad I live in texas, cause here Texas when you turn old enough you just dont get a car, you get a .45 M1911

[SilverCougar]

Ah good.. population control laws in effect.

/Burns Eeeexcelent /Burns

[DitzGhoul]

Florida state law prohibits all felons from possessing a firearm.

All others may pay for a permit to carry a concealed gun.

Jeb Bush states that Florida's crime rate has significantly dropped

during his administration.

Carjacking has dropped way down.

[SilverCougar]

nice.. *ehem* avatar...

[sanchera1978]

I agree but I get the feeling it wont last long .. children do visit this site often..

[SilverCougar]

I agree but I get the feeling it wont last long .. children do visit this site often..

*was being sarcastic* X)

and you were right.. it didn't