ok, i saw this in the paper today and i was like WTF?. here's the story.
Florida legislators have passed a new law, cutely dubed the "kill bill" which re-defines self defense.In a state were road rage is, well all the rage, the new law is desgined,in part, to curtial violence on Florida roadways by allowing people to use deadly force if menaced by another driver.
If the guy you just had a fender bender with looks like he's on the verge of a violent outburst, in Florida, you are no longer obligated to hop behind the wheel and hitail it out of there. Instead, the state now allows you to stand your ground and pull out that lawfully concealed Magnum in your pocket and put a bullet between the other driver's eyes.The National Rifle Association pushed for the kill bill in Florida and plans to do the same in the other 49 states.
The law removes the need for consediring flight as an option to a life threating situation. It gives everyone "the right to stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly force if he or she reasonably belives that it is nessecary to do so to prevent death or great bodily harm.
The theory behind the "Kill Bill" seems to be if the threat of violence exists, no one will resort to violent behaviour. Motorists will presumably be reluctant to run over and berate the guy who just cut them off if the other driver can reach over and start firing lead from his .44. No doubt the Kill Bill will be used in connection with another trendsetting development in Florida - cops carrying body bags to help speed up traffic flow. The officers have been given additional equipment so they wont have to wait for medical examiners to arrive before carting off corpses and getting cars moving again.