By Judith Gayle | Political Waves
Twenty-year-old Hannah Grace Kelley was shot in the head last month at the church her daddy pastored. The bullet came through the wall from a nearby closet, where a parishioner was looking to sell his Ruger 9mm handgun to Hannah’s young fiancé, Dustin, unaware that there was still a round in the chamber. She died a few days later, one more “accidental” sacrifice to the NRA’s ambitious campaign against gun control. Where did sweet little Hannah die, you ask? Why Florida, of course.
The same place where a beautiful young man — one our President said looked much like his own son might look — made a candy run during half-time and found himself stalked, ultimately killed, by another young man who had seemingly become infected with racial paranoia and vigilantism.
Florida, the land of sunshine, citrus and concealed carry permits, is a southern playground of — to paraphrase Jon Stewart — young rednecks and old Jews. This vacation spot is a place where guns are everywhere, while laws to limit their use are scarce as hen’s teeth, and where the controversial Stand Your Ground law has finally made a name for itself. It used to be something of a joke that if you wanted to shoot someone in your yard, you’d better drag the body inside before you call the cops, to prove that there was intent to commit bodily harm. In Florida, you no longer have to bother with that. Just the possibility of a threat to your life gives you the right to defend yourself with deadly force.