I totally agree. I'm not down to just blast somebody over just stuff. That's too cold blooded for me. And frankly I think the people that want to, that seems extra bloodthirsty. I'm more scared by them than I am by the stereotypical Criminal Black Man they seem to be worried about. Cause let's be honest, if these teens weren't a cute white boy and girl, it wouldn't be on the news.
In this particular case, I'd say the guy was probably justified in firing the first shots that he fired at each kid given the situation, but the additional shots he fired when they were already incapacitated was straight-up, willful, calculated murder. There's no knowing what else an intruder who has already violated the sanctity of your home - possibly repeatedly in the past - might do to you next, even a stupid teenager. I feel for the guy to the extent that he may have been living in fear, getting robbed again and again and having been unable to do anything about it, not knowing how much more he would have to endure, not knowing what else the intruders or possible accomplices would do to him in the future if he didn't stop them. But shooting someone who is already down and doesn't show any signs of having a weapon of their own - that's nuts. Whatever his sentence, he certainly deserves to have everyone in the community know that he had a choice, and he chose to be a murderer.
More generally, I think that people have a right to self-defense, and it's often difficult to determine fast enough in real-time in a panicky situation whether it is merely one's material goods that are at risk, or if one's life or limb are as well. Additionally, one's home in particular is not simply a physical space, but a psychological space as well. People ought to be able to feel safe in their own homes, and when people can't feel that way because of others' aggression, right or wrong, shit's gonna get fucked up.
The choice to respond nonviolently to violent circumstances is ethically preferable whenever possible, but I do think there are a number of violent circumstances where a violent response is understandable, and others condemning a person for defending themselves and their home per se don't necessarily have a means to fully understand what the resident was going through emotionally. This particular guy went substantially beyond a reasonable, proportionate response to the situation at hand, though.
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The choice to respond nonviolently to violent circumstances is ethically preferable whenever possible, but I do think there are a number of violent circumstances where a violent response is understandable, and others condemning a person for defending themselves and their home per se don't necessarily have a means to fully understand what the resident was going through emotionally. This particular guy went substantially beyond a reasonable, proportionate response to the situation at hand, though.
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