The Availability of Guns In The U.S. Is Cause For Concern

The Availability of Guns In The U.S. Always Concerns Me.

As a criminal defense attorney, I have defended many individuals who have been accused of crimes of violence.  There are no winners or losers when a crime of any type takes place. Clearly, when a person dies or is injured, an entire family or community suffers, but the perpetrator’s family and community also suffer, especially when the crime was one of passion.

The proliferation and availability of guns is always a concern to me.  We have recently seen a rash of senseless killings lately, a store´s parking lot shooting, a movie theater shooting, a quiet neighborhood street shooting….

People grab a guns and use them in a fit of anger, but the same person under different circumstances, or if the guns had not been readily available, might have reacted differently and the outcome of the initial confrontation might have been different.

Recently, an Arkansas man, Willie Noble, 48 of Little Rock, was accused of shooting and killing a 15-year-old this after she, joined by other pranksters, egged a car outside the accused house, police said.  According to Little Rock Police Lt. Sidney Allen, Mr. Noble apparently ran out of his house and opened fire just before 1:00 a.m. Saturday.

According to Lt. Allen, Ms. Broadway and about half a dozen other teens dumped a mix of eggs, mayonnaise and leaves on a car parked outside the home located in a middle class area of southwest Little Rock.  Two bullets struck the door of the teenager´s car.

Mr. Noble stands charged with first-degree murder, one count of terrorist’s acts, and five counts of aggravated assault. He was being held Monday in lieu of a $1 million bond.  Friends and relatives held a candlelight vigil for Ms. Broadway at a local park; many attendees took the time to call for an end to gun violence.

Also, a few days ago, a man was convicted in Florida for shooting a young man in a parking lot because the music he was playing was to loud….

In a theater recently a man was killed by an angry moviegoer because the victim was texting inside the theater…

Needless to say, we have also seen an assortment of school shootings which have left all of us shattered.

As I said, there are no winners or losers in that type of situation.  But if there is a take away for all of us, it should be that one never knows how another person will react when pushed by circumstances or events.  Even to what some might describe as an innocent prank, loud music or texting at a movie.

I am Attorney Martin E. Regan Jr. and these are my personal thoughts.