Firing a 'warning shot' at an attacker legal in Florida

http://news.msn.com/us/firing-a-warning-shot-at-an-attacker-legal-in-florida

After all, Vice President Biden advised us all to do it if we felt
threatened by an intruder.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Reuters) - Florida Governor Rick Scott signed a law on
Friday that builds on the state's controversial "stand your ground"
self-defense rules by allowing citizens to brandish weapons and fire warning
shots to ward off attackers.

The warning shot law was inspired in part by the public outcry over the case
of a woman sentenced to a 20-year prison term under the state's sentencing
guidelines because she fired a gun at her abusive husband, who was not
injured.

"Self-defense is not a crime. It's a constitutional right," said Marion
Hammer, the National Rifle Association's lead lobbyist in Florida.
"Prosecutors have been violating the rights of Florida citizens and this law
will stop that."

The case of Marissa Alexander, who was convicted in 2012 of three counts of
aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, ignited protests from supporters
who contrasted her treatment with that of George Zimmerman, who was
acquitted on self-defense grounds last year in the shooting death of a
black, unarmed teenager, Trayvon Martin.

Under Florida's 2005 "stand your ground" law, people who use deadly force to
defend themselves - rather than retreating to avoid confrontation - can be
immune from prosecution if they have a reasonable fear of serious injury.

The new law's changes to "stand your ground" received little discussion when
the bill passed. Some gun rights supporters have recently raised concerns
that the confusing language could actually weaken self-defense protections.

Anticipating the new law, a judge recently postponed a retrial for
Alexander, whose conviction was overturned on appeal. The law still allows
prosecutors to bring charges if they doubt a self-defense claim.

A less controversial measure, also signed by Scott on Friday, protects
school children from being barred from classes for fashioning a pistol out
of snacks or blocks, or pointing their fingers at classmates and going
"bang-bang."

The "pop tart bill," as it was dubbed after cases in some states where
students got in trouble for chewing or shaping breakfast snacks into guns,
was another priority of the NRA.

 "It's about children who were being mistreated by administrators who lack
common sense or rational judgment when dealing with children simply being
children," Hammer said.

(Additional reporting by Letitia Stein; Editing by Eric Beech and Bill Trott

By Epictetus