Felons could use the state’s “stand your ground” legislation to claim self-defense if they feel threatened and kill somebody in Georgia, according to a state analysis obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution confirming the effects of a gun bill passed last month by the state Legislature.
State analysis of gun bill: felons could claim ‘stand your ground’ defense
I don’t really see what the problem would be. If the felon is not engaged in a forcible felony, why should we expect that he not defend himself? We have both violent and non-violent felonies (crimes relating to white-collar, drug, or property offenses) and I am all for having the rights of those who committed non-violent felonies restored after they fully paid for their mistakes. Still working on the Violent ones.
“But they can’t have guns!” And you are right, but that does not mean they cannot defend themselves by baseball bat, machete, samurai sword, etc. Again, the principle of self-defense is not the tool used but the concept behind it. Just think for a second the morons out there that are protesting against Stand Your Ground and Self-Defense in general because the swear on a stack of Gregorian Bibles that it is only bad when you have a gun. Quentin Wyche killed a fellow FIU student with scissors, claimed SYG and is now serving a long tract of prison time.
And to avoid all these nonsense, let’s keep pushing for defensive laws that favor the Law Abiding and not the morons that hate guns…and assorted buddies.
I still can’t figure out from the facts I was able to read of this case how he got convicted?
Basically a fight ensued but Wyche was able to leave the area, stopped nearby, retrieved a pair of scissors and re-engaged. He became the aggressor.
I thought Wyche left the first fight scene and was followed by the victim to a second location when he then stabbed the victim with the scissors.
Not the way I read it, but even so. The “clock” on the original event had stopped and this became a second event where there was disparity of force favoring Wyche.
I would hope felons could claim stand your ground defense.
1. They “paid their debt to society.” If they are back in society, they should be granted all the protections of the law. Or else they should not be back in society.
2. There are a lot of deadly defensive weapons besides guns, as our host noted. Sharp pointy things, large blunt objects, or even things like autos have been used in self defense. SYG should not only mean using a gun.
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