Dear Editor:
We are writing this collaborative letter in regards to an article that we read. It brought to our attention a new law involving the use of firearms in Florida. According to this law, Florida residents are granted the right to use deadly force when they feel “threatened” or “unsafe”. Doesn’t this law seem ludicrous? It’s almost like Florida is some third world, lawless country.
A trend in the controversy over the law is that the supporters are generally republican, and the people against the law are generally democrats. Most of the members in our party have conservative views. Anthony Benson, one of the members in our group, owns a few rifles, including an AR-15 assault rifle. We are huge fans of the second amendment. Our nation was forged out of firearms. How were we victorious in the American Revolution? Conviction, courage, and guns. But even being conservative, we think that this law is completely insane.
Picture this scenario: I’m a Florida resident, and an avid gun enthusiast/owner. I find out that my wife is cheating on me with another man. I find out that they’re meeting at my house when I’m supposed to be at work. I’m in a car a few doors down as he comes over (note that his car is parked a few blocks down, so that in case I do come home, I wouldn’t know immediately). When he enters the house, I sneak in quietly with a 12-gauge shotgun. I see them in the bedroom, and my wife goes to use the bathroom. Moment of opportunity: A
strange man, alone in my bedroom. I walk in, shoot him, and that’s that. What do I tell to the police? “Someone broke into my home and I felt unsafe. I was defending myself”.
A personal vendetta suddenly turns into “self-defense”, and I get away without consequence. The police see a stranger in my bedroom, right next to where the jewelry is, on the bureau. There is no car parked out front, which seems more like the man intended to be sneaky about it, which grants me further clearance from suspicion. That scenario was simply one of many that could be construed. The thought of the law makes me feel uneasy, like nobody is safe. It’s like the Wild West all over again.
It’s a known fact that nobody in our party is going to Florida anytime soon, and the tourism industry is going to most likely endure a massive loss from this. Who would want to visit a state that allows you to kill someone because they make you feel unsafe? Whenever we walk around Richmond at night and see strange people walking near us, we feel unsafe. But does that grant us the right to shoot them? Of course not.