Another Anti Self Defense News Article

Recently, a pair of criminals tried to steal a man’s SUV and then run him over with it.  The criminals refused to stop driving towards the owner, and he used his gun to defend himself, saving his life and killing one of the criminals in the process. Reporting on this story, CNN’s anti gun and anti self defense bias is apparent:

Authorities do not plan to file charges against a Florida orange grove owner who fatally shot a 21-year-old woman, saying he is protected under the state’s controversial “no retreat” law.

Starting with the first paragraph of their story, CNN implies that a person who defend themselves against car thieves might need to be charged, and then goes on to call Florida’s self defense laws controversial.  In my humble opinion, the victim who successfully saves his life and stops a pair of criminals who were committing a violent felony shouldn’t be charged with a crime.  Instead, he should be given a parade down main street, for successfully saving himself and ensuring that these two criminals will not be able to go victimize another person.

As far as Florida’s self defense laws, CNN suggests that it is “controversial.”  While those opposed to gun rights may not like the law, the citizens of Florida and many other states overwhelmingly support such laws, as they save the lives of innocent people.  Requiring a citizen to hesitate when facing a dangerous criminal can lead to that citizen being seriously harmed or killed, since criminals are all too willing to harm their victims.  While Florida’s robust self defense laws may lead to more criminals being shot, it is far better that the violent criminal be shot than their innocent victim.  Remember,  self defense is the most basic human right, and no law abiding citizen has a duty to stand idly by while a criminal steals their car and runs them over with it.

But the woman’s boyfriend faces second-degree murder charges in her death, because the woman was shot to death during an alleged felony — the theft of an SUV.

Tony Curtis Phillips, 29, didn’t fire a single shot. He didn’t even know his girlfriend, Nikki McCormick, was dead until police showed him an online news story.

Firstly, the reason that the male accomplice will face charges for the death of the female accomplice is due to the felony murder doctrine, which basically holds a criminal liable for any death that occurs during the commission of a felony.  This longstanding doctrine makes sense, as it is the intentional actions of the criminal that led to the situation where a death occurred, and that criminal should therefore be held responsible.

Secondly, moving on to the substance of CNN’s statements, we can see an attempt to drum up sympathy for the alleged would-be car thief, who was allegedly willing to endanger his girlfriend and the car’s rightful owner, all because he decided to steal instead of earning money the honest way.  Perhaps I’m old fashioned, but I feel a duty to protect my girlfriend (actually fiancée), and certainly wouldn’t put her in a situation where she would be committing a felony and possibly getting shot at.  I certainly wouldn’t then take off running, leaving her behind, as this man allegedly did.   Such a person is a criminal and a coward, wholly undeserving of sympathy from either CNN’s reporter or CNN’s readers.

Police said McCormick accompanied Phillips as he attempted to steal the SUV from a barn in an orange grove near Wahneta, Florida, before daylight Tuesday.

Here, CNN paints the female accomplice as some sort of innocent bystander, rather than a car thief in her own right.  To be clear, this woman went with her boyfriend to allegedly steal a car.  She knew that they were committing a felony, but decided to come along.  As such, under the law, she is just as culpable as he is, for the theft and alleged attempt at running him over.

The Brady Campaign to prevent Gun Violence says Florida is one of 16 states that have enacted “no retreat” laws, which some call “shoot-first” laws. The laws extend the right to use deadly force beyond a person’s home and into public places.

“The shoot-first law is not needed,” said Brian Malte of the Brady Campaign. “This person, regardless of the situation, may have done the right thing, but he cannot be prosecuted for doing something wrong if he hit an innocent bystander,” he said.

CNN then gave the Brady Campaign the opportunity to disseminate their anti gun propaganda.  To set the record straight, armed citizens are 5.5 times less likely than the police to shoot the wrong person.  Going by the Brady Campaign’s flawed logic, if private citizens shouldn’t have guns, then the police certainly shouldn’t either, since the police are much more likely to shoot the wrong person.

At the moment a crime occurs, victims don’t have the luxury of time,” said Andrew Arulanandam of the National Rifle Association. “They have seconds to decide on a course of action to protect their lives and their families. This law provides law-abiding people with options.

This blurb at the very bottom was the one redeeming part of this CNN article.  It succinctly explains why we need laws that support self defense, and prevent wrongful second guessing of citizens who defend themselves against violent criminals.