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Originally Posted by ThirdOfFive
I certainly agree with the spirit of the post being answered here, if not all of the points.
But it has been my opinion for some time that being charged with the illegal possession of a firearm should by law NEVER be plea-bargained away and if found guilty on that particular charge than the convicted felon receives a mandatory sentence of ten years incarceration ON TOP of any other penalty the judge sees fit to impose for any of the other crimes the criminal has been convicted of in this particular instance, and that those additional ten years must be served consecutively after all other penalties have been paid, NOT concurrently. No exceptions.
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I hadn’t heard this suggestion before, but it has merit in my opinion. The length of the sentence and whether it should be concurrent or consecutive can be debated, as well as if any such sentence would be eligible for parole, but at a minimum jail time is imposed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ThirdOfFive
Another point……is that in cases where the good guy uses his/her gun to stop a crime in progress and the bad guy or guys are wounded or killed in the process, the good guy should never be held liable for any damages inflicted on the bad guy in any civil suit brought by family or friends of the bad guy as a consequence. This was another thing that we saw all too often in Minnesota……..
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Florida law does provide shielding from civil liability by a perpetrator or their family in the event of a lawful self defense. I am not suggesting that a lawsuit would never be brought, for example, if an innocent bystander is hurt, you could potentially be held liable for those injuries.
Given the predilection for lawsuits, and the potential for prosecution even in what should be a legal self defense, it helps if you can show that you have had firearms training. If you have a weapon, especially if you conceal carry, or even if you only keep it in the home, you very much SHOULD have some sort of firearms insurance. Keep in mind that such insurance will only protect you if you have a legal self defense. There are various companies out there that offer different levels of coverage, but consider the legal expenses you might have even if the self defense is ultimately deemed legally justified.