wa263@sdcc12.UUCP (bookmark) (01/23/85)
<== bug snack ``Dum-dum bullets to inflict suffering...'' It seems unlikely to me that Goetz actually used dum-dum bullets. The press has a stupid habit of labeling any hollow-point bullet a dum-dum; when only those that are scored or split really deserve that name. And supposing that Goetz used hollow-points (I don't know, myself, I haven't read anything about THAT), the implication that he was out to cause unnecessary pain is either the product of ignorance or deliberate propagandizing. With a small-caliber handgun like Goetz had, the stopping power of fully-jacketed (or even soft-nose) bullets is inadequate for defensive purposes. This is a matter of ballistics and weapons-effects, not politics. You can't change the laws of physics and biology with hot air. I think that Goetz may well have acted wrongly in other ways. The fact that he shot a couple of his assailants as they fled is very damning. It is morally and legally permissable to shoot attackers, it is not lawful or moral to keep shooting after the attack is ended. People make a big deal over the screwdrivers having remained in their pockets. A weapon doesn't have to be displayed to make a threat credible. These four toughs apparently crowded around Goetz and harrassed him. I don't think he should have shot them. I think he should have threatened THEM with his gun, driving them into the other end of the car. He's guilty of over-reaction, maybe criminal (manslaughter/ADW) over-reaction. This incident does NOT show that people shouldn't be permitted to obtain/carry handguns. It shows that people should be trained before they can carry a gun around. I think that gun CARRIERS, not guns, should be licensed, and I think that such a license should be granted to anyone (of age, not a criminal nor psychotic, etc) who takes and passes a course of instruction in safe and lawful gun handling and use. sdcsvax!bookmark