Image by M1ARifles.com via Flickr
Alan Di Diego | Contributing Writer
opinion@fiusm.com
3 years ago, Jared Bretherick was cruising in a car with his family close to Orlando when another vehicle, steered by Derek Dunning, nearly sideswiped their car.
A brief confrontation ensued, during which Bretherick’s father dialed 911 and unveiled a holstered weapon. Dunning got back inside his car and began backing it up toward the Brethericks. When officers arrived at the scene, Bretherick was aiming his father’s gun at Dunning’s vehicle. He was detained, arrested and charged with aggravated assault.
In Bretherick’s first court hearing, he pursued legal immunity under Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law. The statute, which attracted national attention following the Trayvon Martin case, protects individuals who use weapons in self-defense.
Bretherick’s request for immunity was turned down, but several protests and many months later, he was able to appeal his case all the way to the Florida Supreme Court.
If the Court ruling is in Bretherick’s favor, those who own guns would no longer be required to prove that they were acting in self-defense when using their weapons in rough confrontations. Rather, prosecutors would have to prove that the person did not act in self-defense, an incredibly difficult burden of proof.
There are no signs that Bretherick’s life was in jeopardy, in spite of the fact that he claimed Dunning said he had a gun, the sole weapon found at the scene was the one in Bretherick’s hand.
Luckily, he never fired his firearm, although it is very likely that he could have if it weren’t that officers arrived when they did.
The plain fact that this case has standing in a court of law shows how far off track our state’s gun policy has developed. At any opportunity, judges and NRA lobbyists support and urge loosening Florida’s gun restrictions which can clearly lead to an increase in unneeded violent confrontations.
Of course, as citizens and as students, we should have the right to adequately protect ourselves and our families and friends when their lives are in danger. However, firing a firearm is a serious matter. Those who participate in such an act should have to justify their actions if there is doubt about wether they were warranted or not.
All this spawns a million questions, like whether or not guns should be allowed on college campuses, or if we should reconsider the 2nd amendment altogether. Many believe the 55 percent of students who carry a weapon have no bad intentions; they simply need their gun for protection against the occasional parking spot savage. But the other 45 percent is what should worry all students of FIU as well as our elected politicians.
Just 2 months ago an FIU officer lost his temper and fired his gun inside a police facility on campus (North). Many students may not grasp the severity of this kind of topic, but when we wake up and news headlines read “High School Shooting in Ohio” or “3 Killed, 2 Injured At Local College”, we have to realize that this is happening and it’s terrifying.
Luckily, our campus’ police department is always working to ensure our overall safety, but as students we should push for gun reform not just for our state and for the safety of our friends and family, but for our country and for all Americans.
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