Opinion
Disagree with your neighbor? Don't just stew over it; write about it. Flag as Inappropriate
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Stephanie May 18, 2013 at 05:25 pm
@James,
Ok,you asked for it:
On March 25, 2010, Leonel Marquetti, 51, shot Michael Hurlbutt to…Read More death after observing him leave his ex-girlfriend’s home in Plant City, Florida. Marquetti mistakenly believed that Hurlbutt, a 41-year-old handyman, was a romantic rival. His ex-girlfriend, Siglinde Sperber, described Marquetti as a hoarder who stalked and harassed her after the couple split up. Sperber testified that Marquetti placed a baby monitor under her bed in order to listen in on her phone calls and also installed a hidden camera in her garage.
After confronting and shooting Hurlbutt, Marquetti grabbed the phone that Sperber was using to call 911 to attempt to terminate the call. Marquetti, who possessed a permit to carry a concealed handgun, was convicted of first-degree murder.
On June 1, 2009, Narcisse Antoine, 29, shot two men, one fatally, after a confrontation outside of a West Palm Beach, Florida nightclub. Early that morning, Brandon Hammond and Jeffrey Thompson were kicked out of Mystic Lounge nightclub. The men stayed near the entrance, however, and began to harass other patrons. As Antoine exited the club, he blew a kiss to the men before shooting each of them multiple times. Hammond died after sustaining four gunshot wounds. Antoine left the scene of the shooting, but was later apprehended. Antoine claimed he acted in self-defense, but a jury disagreed and convicted him of attempted second degree murder for the shooting of Thompson. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison. Antoine will be retried for his involvement in Hammond's death.
At the time of the shooting, Antoine possessed a valid permit to carry a concealed handgun.
On July 3, 2008, Garrido shot and killed Josue Reyes in a Miami Beach, Florida parking lot. The two men, who both worked as taxi drivers, had feuded for a number of weeks. Garrido shot the unarmed Reyes two times. The second shot hit Reyes in the back as he attempted to escape. Garrido fled the scene but was apprehended by police a short time later and later convicted of second-degree murder. Despite being convicted of aggravated assault with a weapon in 1997, Garrido possessed a valid permit to carry a concealed handgun at the time of the shooting.
On January 7, 2008, Adam Hill entered a friend's apartment and asked Clayton Patterson if he would like to be shot before fatally shooting him with a revolver. He was charged with second degree murder. Hill had been previously been charged with illegally carrying a concealed weapon, but when he failed to show up to court, the charge was dismissed. Hill also reportedly suffered from mental illness. He obtained a concealed handgun permit in 2007.
Justin Campos, 25, has been sentenced to life in prison for his role in a January 18, 2011 shooting that left two men dead. After engaging in an argument with another group of men outside of Lookers, a Fort Myers area strip club, Campos fatally shot Juan Miguel Sanchez-Perdomo, 20, and Carlos Deleon-Ortiz, 29. The jury did not accept Campos’ claim of self-defense and convicted him of one count of second-degree murder and one count of manslaughter. Campos, a member of the National Rifle Association, held a Florida concealed handgun permit at the time of the killings
These aren't the only cases, and I found these examples just in Florida. I still believe most conceal carry licensees are law abiding. But there are some who can't control themselves. It seems like just anyone can get a concealed carry permit and I don't agree with that. There are also a lot of cases where gun owners have been acquitted after fatally shooting someone. Florida does not allow open carry at all. Which makes me wonder if Tryavon really saw his gun and was going for it. There was none of Trayvons DNA on the gun, but I don't think they struggled over it so that might be why. Sad story nonetheless.
Stephanie May 18, 2013 at 01:21 pm
Just because someone doesn't shoot someone doesn't mean they don't have a sense of bravado. You can…Read More read peoples thoughts? You know what every gun carrier is thinking? Doubtful. Carrying a gun makes people feel tough, I don't know why you don't get that. One doesn't have to kill someone to prove they feel tougher carrying a gun. I'm sorry, but Zimmerman's father is a retired judge and that most likely is the reason that he was never brought to trial on those charges. They just magically disappeared. If you think that's ok fine. I don't. So there is a licensee as you say with a violent past, and he killed someone. The witnesses in the Zimmerman case are all saying different things. And no one saw the start of the confrontation, we don't know what was said. You want to take the word of a man with an arrest record who lied to a judge? Lied twice to a judge? Give him a gun, let's see who he kills next. If someone honestly asked you if a man like that should carry a concealed weapon, you would say yes?
James Gordon May 18, 2013 at 01:07 pm
Stephanie - Zimmerman's account of events is not just "his story." It's evidence. It's…Read More the only evidence for much of the event. As I said, you don't have to believe it, but his account is consistent with the physical evidence. It is corroborated by other witness statements. I have not stated that I think Zimmerman is a good guy (in fact, I identified two mistakes I think he made). I simply explained that your description of the event was wholly unsupported by any evidence. You note that Zimmerman had three prior arrests. An arrest is not a conviction. Until convicted, the arrests mean nothing. A person is presumed innocent until proven guilty. A mixed martial arts position is how the witness characterized the position. I never said bravado doesn't exist. If all licensees had this bravado that you claim they do, why can you not cite thousands of incidents?
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