Pro Basketball Players involved in shooting

[arnisandyz]

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061007/SPORTS04/610070504

To paraphrase, 3 NBA (Pacers) players were involved in an altercation outside a strip club. One fired 5 shots in the air. Not sure if they got special treatment or not, and I don't know the laws in Indiana, but down here you might be charged with branishing or reckless endangerment if you fired shots in the air and not at the target. The idea being that if your life is in immediate danger and you need to draw your weapon it should be directed to stop the threat. What is your take on "warning shots"?

 

[KenpoTex]

The only time I could see a warning shot being usefull would be to get the attention of a large group of people who were fighting. Notice, I didn't say "prudent." I would personally never fire warning shots because of the issues you already mentioned. If my weapon leaves the holster, it's because someone has a very good (bad?) chance of getting shot in the very near future. If, as they claim in this case, they were justified in using deadly force, they should have been shooting with the intention of hitting something. To me, the reasons that you shouldn't fire warning shots are the same reasons you should never shoot to wound.

(I edited my post after reading the article. When you made the comment about "special treatmen" I ASSumed that they were not justified in their actions)

 

[arnisandyz]

Sorry, I should have been more clear...the Police did say it was a justifiable shoot, but I was just wondering, had it been an average joe, would he have been let off that easy for firing the shots in the air. maybe in Indiana its ok...where I live, I think there would be some consequences whether it was a good shoot or not.

Regardless, those shots have to come down somewhere, and the person that pulled the trigger is responsible. It can be argued that if he had time to disuade the attackers he wasn't in immediate fear for his life. I agree, if my gun has to come out of the holster, the only warning shot that I'm giving is a 45 to COM.

What gets me are these sports athletes are in many cases role models for the kids. This is saying its ok to pull a gun out and fire shots in the air if you get hit in the face.

 

[CoryKS]

IMO, warning shots are not a good idea. Those rounds have to come down eventually, and may end up hitting somebody. I'd hate to find out that I accidentally killed a kid to avoid having to shoot an attacker.

 

[Bigshadow]

I don't see a problem with it, but it is a little careless as the round could hit an unsuspecting person blocks away. As for firing the warning shot, *I* probably wouldn't do it, but I can see it being no different than a missed shot. The law doesn't state that you have to shoot the person or else... However, if it were not justifiable, then I can see it being a case of brandishing and carelessness (although warning shots that you don't know where the bullet is going IS careless).

I guess what I am saying is.... If you drew your gun and the bad guy that was threatening you high-tailed it out there as soon as he saw it and you never fired it... Is that brandishing? No.

To me it is very much like another thread on here where there was some debate about what is or is not an "end it" move. It will vary.

 

[SFC JeffJ]

Yeah, he's getting special treatment. It was a stupid thing to do and he should be convicted and his license to carry yanked. Don't see it happening though.

Warning shots are a bad idea. You need to know where your rounds are going to end up, and if after the warning shots the **** still hits the fan, you are short the ammo you just wasted.

Jeff

 

[arnisandyz]

Justice prevails...

Pacers' Jackson charged with criminal recklessness

"Firing the shots in the air at that point is criminal recklessness," Brizzi said. "Those bullets, once they come up, have to come down, and they come down at least 90 miles per hour, and they do absolutely have the ability to take someone's life."

Pacers president Larry Bird said Jackson was upset by the charges.

"He knows it's a major embarrassment for the franchise," Bird said. "This is a big blow for Stephen. He didn't expect this." (MAYBE HE SHOULD HAVE PAYED ATTENTION DURING HIS CCW CLASS! If your going to carry know the consequences regardless of who you are)

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2621509&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines

 

[Bigshadow]

Justice prevails...

Pacers' Jackson charged with criminal recklessness

"Firing the shots in the air at that point is criminal recklessness," Brizzi said. "Those bullets, once they come up, have to come down, and they come down at least 90 miles per hour, and they do absolutely have the ability to take someone's life."

Pacers president Larry Bird said Jackson was upset by the charges.

"He knows it's a major embarrassment for the franchise," Bird said. "This is a big blow for Stephen. He didn't expect this." (MAYBE HE SHOULD HAVE PAYED ATTENTION DURING HIS CCW CLASS! If your going to carry know the consequences regardless of who you are)

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2621509&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines

Awesome! Glad to hear it!

 

[SFC JeffJ]

There is no CCW class in IN to get one.

Actually, it's not a CCW, it's just a license to carry. You can carry open if you want too.

Jeff

 

[KenpoTex]

Justice prevails...

Pacers' Jackson charged with criminal recklessness

"Firing the shots in the air at that point is criminal recklessness," Brizzi said. "Those bullets, once they come up, have to come down, and they come down at least 90 miles per hour, and they do absolutely have the ability to take someone's life."

Pacers president Larry Bird said Jackson was upset by the charges.

"He knows it's a major embarrassment for the franchise," Bird said. "This is a big blow for Stephen. He didn't expect this." (MAYBE HE SHOULD HAVE PAYED ATTENTION DURING HIS CCW CLASS! If your going to carry know the consequences regardless of who you are)

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2621509&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines

Nice, I'm actually surprised that they charged him.

 

[arnisandyz]

NBA Commsioner's knee jerk reaction. WTF? Can someone explain to me how just the act of carrying a gun can make you LESS safe? Probably has something to do with the IQ level of the average NBA player.

"David Stern understands having a gun to protect your home. He's not convinced carrying one on the streets makes you any safer."

"if you carry a gun, your chances of being shot by one increase dramatically,"

"you'll read players saying how they feel safer with guns, in fact those guns actually make them less safe."

walking the streets carrying guns was "dangerous for our players,"

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_y...hYK8vLYF?slug=ap-stern-guns&prov=ap&type=lgns

 

[bydand]

NBA Commsioner's knee jerk reaction. WTF? Can someone explain to me how just the act of carrying a gun can make you LESS safe? Probably has something to do with the IQ level of the average NBA player.

"David Stern understands having a gun to protect your home. He's not convinced carrying one on the streets makes you any safer."

"if you carry a gun, your chances of being shot by one increase dramatically,"

"you'll read players saying how they feel safer with guns, in fact those guns actually make them less safe."

walking the streets carrying guns was "dangerous for our players,"

Well that quote from The NBA Commish just has to be one of the least thought out things I have ever heard. I can only shake my head at the total foolishness of this statement.

 

[KenpoTex]

The commissioner is a moron...

 

[Grenadier]

If the commissioner wants to control things, then he should control the players' behavior. Those who misbehave in criminal manners should be banned.

To try to assert, though, that an inanimate object was the cause of the player's bad behavior, is silly. That's just like trying to blame the makers of spoons for people becoming morbidly obese, or the Jack Daniels Distillery for a certain powerful senator's rampage at Chappaquidick.

It's the individual that must be held accountable, instead of trying to blame non-living objects.