Kentucky, a state with a long tradition of continuing to fight the Civil War into the 21^st century like many southern states, has two laws most people there, or most anywhere else, could imagine clashing: the “Stand Your Ground” law and the “No-Knock Warrants” law. They clashed in a deadly fashion in the case of Breonna Taylor, putting her in a deadly vise and providing a strong indictment against systemic racism and the NRA with its wrong interpretations of the Second Amendment.

I can understand the intention of no-knock warrants. Knocking is the signal for a “perp” to run. Forget the fact that anyone looking out and seeing a SWAT group would probably run for their live too, especially a black person espying a white SWAT. In fact, a black person, guilty or innocent, should run for their life in a southern state. In these red states, it’s usually guilty until proven innocent, especially toward black and brown people by the Trumpers. If ICE agents can be seen in combat gear, same thing.

Of course, the suspected “perp” inside might start firing his gun (easy to own in red states) through the door when he hears the knock. Patience isn’t a virtue among some cops, especially white ones looking for a black man in a red state, so they prefer to neutralize a perceived threat and question the suspect later. They don’t bother to check the address of the person they’re after either. In Breonna’s case, they were sent there to arrest a different black man, and by damn they were going get one! They had the wrong address. Afterward the cops and prosecutors tried to make it out that the one with Breonna was the drug dealer’s accomplice.

“Standing Your Ground” is an absurd law, of course. Those laws, again mostly enacted in red states where the size of one’s gun seems to be a measure of a man’s masculinity (or a woman’s desire to show she’s “man enough”?), meaning that a person who perceives a threat can kill the person supposedly making a threat. All kinds of validation for a racist killing there, as we saw in that parking lot in Florida! Or with Trevon Martin. This is deadly force sanctioned by stupid or racist politicians who happily benefit from the NRA’s deep pockets, politicians willing to accept blood money for their campaigns from the NRA.

Breonna’s boyfriend stood his ground. There was no knock, and the cops didn’t identify themselves. He had no idea who they were…and stood his ground, because in Kentucky he could own a gun and use it exactly that way.

Two stupid laws met that fateful night, catching the poor EMT in a deadly crossfire. Both laws should be repealed. Unforeseen consequences are no excuse when it comes to saving human life, in this case a beautiful person who lived to help others. Reasonable gun laws should be enacted, strong, federal laws so gun owners in red states or anywhere else are forced to use guns responsibly, and so they’re punished when they don’t.

Of course, the NRA doesn’t want this. They bloviate about their Second Amendment rights. Judge Scalia himself proved their credo is bullshit. He consulted a database in Utah trying to buoy up that credo and could hardly find a document from that era supporting individual gun ownership. Except for neo-Nazis and white supremacists, gun owners aren’t part of a militia; the militias are now our National Guard. Personal gun ownership is not guaranteed by the Second Amendment, and never was. No individual besides soldiers in the National Guard really has a right to own a gun! And cops get along with them just fine in Britain.

God help us if we can’t do what’s right and get reasonable gun laws. A failure there will make the coming Civil War between red and blue states all that bloodier. That’s where Trump is taking us, but we can disarm those with the blood lust to save some innocents at least…like Breonna Taylor!

***

Comments are always welcome.

Death on the Danube. Esther Brookstone, ex-MI6 agent in East Berlin in the Cold War and ex-Scotland Yard Inspector in the Art and Antiques Division, is on her honeymoon with Interpol agent Bastiann van Coevorden. Their idyllic cruise down the Danube is interrupted when a reclusive and mysterious passenger is murdered. Why was the victim alone on that riverboat filled with couples, in a stateroom by himself? And who killed him? Esther and Bastiann were often called Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot by wags at the Yard, and this addition to the series might remind readers of Christie’s Death on the Nile and Murder on the Orient Express, but this mystery/thriller is very much a story set in the twenty-first century. So tour the Danube with Esther and Bastiann…and enjoy the ride! Coming soon!

Around the world and to the stars! In libris libertas!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 15th, 2020 at 2:50 am and is filed under OpEds. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.