Gunzapalooza

Yahoo News reported that the annual Williston, FL crabfest was held this past Saturday. According to a story by Eric Pfeiffer the event has no corporate, or municipal sponsors and more closely resembles a string of block parties spread out over a wide area. Pfeiffer also reported that incidents of violence had been growing the past few years so police and medical assistance teams were put on alert prior to this years big to-do that drew an estimated 10,000 people.

They were needed. Before it was over five people had been shot. One of the five died later at a hospital. Police took 19 year old Devonte Tremaine Ocasi into custody. He was charged with 1st degree murder, discharge of a firearm with injury, aggravated assault with a firearm, possession of a firearm and presumably with being a genuine asshole. He is being held on $1.5 million bond. There is no word as to whether he will try to invoke Florida's now famous "stand your ground" law which pretty much makes it legal to shoot anyone who sneers at you and or calls you a bad name.

That is what our old pal, George Zimmerman could have done this week in Sanford, FL, but he waived his right to that hearing in a move that was mildly surprising. Zimmerman is the neighborhood watch captain who was on his way to a Wal-Mart when he spotted Trayvon Martin walking through his gated community acting suspiciously. Zimmerman has never been entirely clear on why Martin seemed suspicious, other than he was black and wearing a hoodie. Martin was, in fact, walking to a condo in the complex where he and his father were staying with a friend. What happened next will be played out at Zimmerman's 2nd degree murder trial, but the end result was that Martin, who was armed with a bag of skittles and ice tea, was shot to death. Defense attorney, Mark O'Mara said that nothing in Florida law prevents Zimmerman from waiting to ask for the "stand your ground" hearing at a later date and that includes after the prosecution has finished presenting its case. If he had won a stand your ground decision George Zimmerman would have walked without a jury trial.

In Washington Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez is charged with attempting to assassinate the president of these United States. He has pleaded innocent. Court documents released by the prosecution the other day say that Mr. Ortega-Hernandez practiced with his assault style weapon for nearly six months at his Idaho home. The contention is that he was really, really pissed off at the government because of the continued criminalization of marijuana and believed Barak Obama was the Antichrist. The shooting occurred in November of 2011 and while it is alleged Ortega-Hernandez was able to hit the white house at least five times, he picked a bad day. Both the president and first lady were out of town at the time he is accused of opening fire. Well hey, you know, sometimes when you're stoned details tend to escape you.

Here in Oklahoma the trial of Rebecca Bryan is set to begin next week. Mrs. Bryan is accused of shooting her husband, Keith Bryan to death in 2011. Keith Bryan was the Nichols Hills, OK fire chief and the couple had been married over 30 years. Prosecutors believe Mrs. Bryan had previously been involved in an affair and wanted to reunite with a former lover. The defendant claims an intruder shot her husband. The gun used in the murder was found in the family clothes dryer by police.

And finally in Kentucky, NBC News reports that a five year old Cumberland County boy received a .22 caliber rifle as a gift last year. On Tuesday he accidentally shot his two year old sister to death with it. According to county coroner, Gary White the rifle was, "...a crickett. Its a little rifle for a kid." He went on to say, "The little boy is used to shooting the gun. The family didn't realize there was a shell in the gun."

Right. So it was a perfectly understandable tragedy.

Now, someone tell me again how people like these should have the right to bear arms because I do truly love fairy tales.

Slate and @GunDeaths report that as of today, at least 3,798 Americans have been shot to death since the Newtown, CT killings. Of that number 69 never reached the age of thirteen and another 190 never made it to twenty.

Who says we've gone soft?



5-1-13