Evan Thomas
Inactive
I absolutely agree. But:MLeake said:As PK said, as have others: OC requires a calm demeanor, and avoidance of conflict. I don't worry about the guy I see with a holstered weapon; I do worry about the guy with the holstered weapon who is ranting or acting like a lunatic.
By this description, Mr. Rodgers doesn't seem to have been "acting like a lunatic." What he did was stupid, rude, and could easily have been construed as hostile, but it's hard for me to see the behavior described above as a lethal threat, with or without the presence of a holstered gun.The video shows:
* That the shooter had a vehicle between the shooting victim and himself;
* the shooting victim with his hands in his pockets;
* that the victim made no furtive movement which could be reasonably interpreted as a threat.
It seems to me that one of the things going on in this thread is that many of us feel betrayed by Mr. Rodgers' actions, as casting all of us in a bad light. That makes it tempting to throw him off the bus, as it were -- or under it -- by suggesting that he's too irresponsible to carry a gun, or even that he may have been shot in justifiable self-defense.
Was it stupid to start a confrontation in this way? Of course. Does it show bad judgment? Heck yes. Did his actions rise to the level of assault, or anything else that would justify taking away his 2nd Amendment rights? Don't think so.
Unfortunately, defending those rights does, at times, mean supporting their exercise by people whose behavior we don't like.
Exactly.MLeake said:If we could legislate against people we just thought were immature, stupid, or Walter Mitty types owning guns (or driving cars, or flying planes, etc), who would make the determination?