"No civilized society that I know of outside of America has laws" like our "shoot first" gun laws (Mayor Michael Bloomberg)

"["Shoot first"] laws are not the kind of laws that a civilized society should have. This is just giving people a license to murder."

-- NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, on "stand your ground" laws

by Ken

But Mayor Mike, what if what people want is precisely "a license to murder"? Which is not to say that every gun-toter has murder in his/her heart every time he/she fondles his/her weapon of choice. But deep down, and frequently not so deep, I think, there's primal satisfaction in knowing that they could kill somebody/something if the occasion arose (please, God!).

But back to Mayor Mike for a moment. As regular readers know, I'm not among his biggest fans, but I do try to give him credit for initiatives he's taken in the interests of a livable city -- and country -- which you just aren't likely to find from a conventional pol. And there's no question that he's been good on guns, probably most visibly with his participation in Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Listen to him:

"No civilized society that I know of outside of America has laws that permit anyone to just decide somebody shouldn't be alive, pull out a gun, shoot them and get away with it."

(Of course it's possible that in the heartland his principled advocacy of reasonable limits on gun trafficking and use have exactly the opposite effect: making it possible to dismiss the concerns as those of a "New York Jew.")

Mayor Bloomberg Launches Campaign Against 'Stand Your Ground' Gun Laws

By Julie Shapiro, DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

WASHINGTON, DC -- Mayor Michael Bloomberg and NAACP leaders spoke out Wednesday against controversial "stand your ground" laws, which have come under fire in the wake of the shooting death of unarmed Florida teen Trayvon Martin.

The officials announced a campaign to reform or repeal the so-called "shoot first" laws, which allow people to use deadly force in self-defense even if they are in a public space and have an opportunity to escape.

"The laws are not the kind of laws that a civilized society should have," Bloomberg said at the Washington, D.C., press conference, joined by the NAACP, National Urban League and others. "This is just giving people a license to murder."

As the officials unveiled the "Second Chance on Shoot First" campaign Wednesday afternoon, Florida officials were separately set to announce that neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman will be charged in Martin's death, according to reports.

Martin, 17, had just picked up a bag of Skittles at a convenience store in Sanford, Fla., and was walking home when Zimmerman shot him during a confrontation Feb. 26.

Zimmerman claimed the hoodie-clad teen was threatening him and because of the state's "stand your ground" law, Zimmerman was not initially charged, sparking protests across the country.

But on Wednesday, Florida special prosecutor Angela Corey was set to announce the first charges against Zimmerman in the case, according to reports. The specific charges were not immediately known.

The mayor's Second Chance on Shoot First campaign aims to substantially alter the "stand your ground" laws in the 25 states where they are in effect so that they cannot be used in vigilante, domestic violence or drug cases, officials said.

Bloomberg also slammed the National Rifle Association for lobbying for and helping to draft the "shoot first" laws, which he said make the country less safe.

"No civilized society that I know of outside of America has laws that permit anyone to just decide somebody shouldn't be alive, pull out a gun, shoot them and get away with it," Bloomberg said.

States where "stand your ground" laws were passed saw major increases in the number of justifiable homicides, including a 200 percent spike in Florida, the campaign said.

The Second Chance on Shoot First campaign includes an online petition and a space for state legislators to voice their views.

Right-wingers, the people who take such pleasure in those dreadful "shoot if you feel like it" laws that were rammed through so many state legislatures during the dark second term of the Bush regime, written by the right-wing thugs of ALEC and paid through the muscle of the NRA and its deep-pocketed allies, are fond of talking about the Ten Commandments. As usual, right-wingers are less fond of thinking about those commandments. Have you ever stopped to think about the fact that the commandment-writer deemed it necessary to tell people that they're not supposed to kill?

True, the supreme commander also thought it necessary to proscribe such behavior as coveting the neighbor's possessions, and wife. But we understand that, because, you know, people are gonna do that stuff. Well, you know, people like to kill too -- or at least think they could if, you know, the circumstances called for it.

It is, as Mayor Mike notes, an especially American craziness. But it's a craziness that I'm afraid is buried deep in the American psyche, and the movers and shakers of the Right, the elites who pull the strings, have no compunctions about giving their sneerworthy peasants guns if that helps keep them in line for, say, monstrous tax inequities.

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