Accidental shooting or crime? A mother’s plea for “justice”
Accidental shooting or crime? A mother’s plea for “justice”
While checking my newsfeed on Facebook this morning, I came across a very sad story posted by a mother who had lost her daughter, an expectant mother, to an accidental gun shot. Donna Bryan of Newport Richie, FL, the mourning mother of the victim, Katherine Hoover, was asking people to sign a petition entitled “Justice for my pregnant daughter who was shot and killed” calling for the prosecution of her daughter’s friend who accidentally shot and killed her.
Here is an excerpt from that petition:
“Please, help us secure justice for Katherine and Rehlin. Please prosecute DeHayes for involuntary manslaughter, negligent homicide, and/or other appropriate charges, and give him a trial before a jury of his peers. As his pattern of recklessness demonstrates, he is a menace to society. He deserves to be prosecuted for his unconscionable actions that proved fatal to Katherine and Rehlin.”
Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely,
Donna Bryan
bereaved mother of Katherine Bryan Hoover
While our hearts go out to this grieving mother, and every parent who has lost a child, it is important to note that Donna Bryan stated in the comments on her post that she has nothing against guns or the second amendment:
“…I have nothing against guns or the second amendment but I do feel you have a responsibility to your self and others i do its justice for katherine” – Donna Bryan June 16 at 4:49pm
However, after further investigation, it appears Donna Bryan DOES indeed have something against guns and our second amendment rights as evidenced by her post made on that very same day, BEFORE the above referenced comment was made – June 16 at 9:15am:
Here is the text from the “Gun Control. Now.” petition Donna Bryan is also pushing people to sign:
Our second amendment rights are long overdue a reevaluation. How many more senseless and entirely PREVENTABLE shootings have to occur before we do something about Gun Control.As a citizen and constituent of this great country, I am asking that you take a firm stand and make a positive change by restricting access to guns and saving lives.I don’t have a gun. I don’t want a gun. I don’t need a gun. But somehow the guns always wind up in the hands of people crazy enough to use them irresponsibly and dangerously.This HAS TO BE STOPPED.Thank you for your action!!
There are currently 493,055 signatures. NEW goal – We need 500,000 signatures!Read more on the background of this petition; using Sandy Hook and other disputable shootings as a point of concern and reference to justify the taking of our second amendment rights at: Moveon.org
Below are excerpts from: When is an “accidental shooting” really a crime? by Julia Dahl of CBS, indicating that no laws were broken by William DeHayes, the seemingly incompetent man who accidentally killed his friend Katherine, however, Donna Bryan is pushing to have William DeHayes, a father himself, thrown into a cage for years based on an accident and one I suspect he must truly regret.
Perhaps promoting gun safety education would be a more productive and constitutional plan of action to prevent further accidents of this type from happening in the future; see gun safety tips and information below this article.
Here is the excerpt from CBS News from March 6, 2015:
Last month, Florida prosecutors decided not to press charges against a man who fatally shot his pregnant friend while showing off one of his guns.
William DeHayes told police that his .22 caliber handgun went off after he spun it around his finger. The bullet struck Katherine Hoover in the head, killing her. Her unborn son died soon after.
Hoover’s mother, Donna Bryan, has started a petition on Change.org, asking prosecutors to reconsider their decision not to charge DeHayes.
“How is it that DeHayes’ right to own and play recklessly with his guns trumps my daughter’s right to life?,” Bryan asks. So far, more than 2,800 people have signed the petition.
But in a letter responding to Bryan’s request for a prosecution, Florida State Attorney Brad King said that DeHayes’ actions simply didn’t rise to the level of a crime under Florida law.
“An accidental discharge of a firearm causing death, even if the result of gross negligence cannot be prosecuted criminally,” King wrote. “Just as it is my duty to prosecute those who violate the law, it is equally my duty to refrain from prosecuting those whose conduct, no matter how outrageous, does not constitute a crime. This is such a case.”
According to Florida Assistant State Attorney Pete Magrino, in order to rise to the level of a crime in Florida, an unintentional shooting must meet the standard of “culpable negligence.” In his decline-to-charge memo, Magrino describes culpable negligence as “showing reckless disregard for human life.”
Had DeHayes pulled the trigger of his gun intentionally, for example, thinking the firearm was unloaded, and it went off, or had he been drunk or under the influence of drugs when the shooting occurred, that would have been a crime. But, as Magrino’s colleague Chief Assistant State Attorney Ric Ridgway told 48 Hours’ Crimesider, “If you’re just being careless with a gun and it goes off, that’s not a crime.” Read more at CBS News
In the CBS News article Bryan is quoted as stating: “How is it that DeHayes’ right to own and play recklessly with his guns trumps my daughter’s right to life?”
The question I pose is: How does death by an accidental gun shot trump the supreme law of our land and our God-given right to keep and bear arms to protect ourselves and our families, among other things? Our founding fathers fought and died for these rights and they should be protected at all costs.
The second amendment is clear and is the only one deemed “necessary” to the security of a free state… For people who are paying attention to the Police State that the U.S. is becoming famous for, the second amendment is not up for debate.
The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution reads: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.“
Freedom fighters in the United States are few and far between, and are taking on the challenge and responsibility of ensuring our rights are not further eroded. The powers that be, are stripping us of our liberties at an alarming rate, and the citizens who sacrifice time away from their family, friends, children and businesses to fight for what is left of our freedoms may consider this type of misguided action a slap in the face.
Actions taken that help further destroy our individual rights, based on personal tragedy, are possibly the most tragic infringement of all.
Gun Safety Information from PSC
For more helpful tips, tools and techniques to improve handgun shooting skills & safety, click below:
Related Information:
We’re At War? With Who? Injustice in the U.S. Police State…
www.WorldNewsDirectory.com
Police Use of Military Equipment, C-SPAN, September 9, 2014
Witnesses testified at a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on the sale of Department of Defense weapons and equipment to state and local police forces…
Senator Rand Paul, M.D., (R–KY) – Shocking debate:
Transcript and entire hearing: http://www.c-span.org/video/?321337-1/hearing-militarization-police-forces
Excerpts from transcript: SENATOR PAUL. >> I THINK MANY OF US ARE HORRIFIED BY SOME OF THE IMAGES THAT CAME OUT OF FERGUSON. WE WERE HORRIFIED BY SEEING AN UNARMED BEING CONFRONTED BY AN ARMORED PERSONNEL CARRIER. WE’RE HORRIFIED BY SEEING AN UNARMED MAN WITH HIS HANDS OVER HIS HEAD BEING CONFRONTED BY A DRAWN ASSAULT WEAPON. WE’RE HORRIFIED BY IMAGES OF TEAR GAS BEING SHOT INTO THE YARDS OF PEOPLE’S PERSONAL HOMES WHO WERE PROTESTING. ONE OF THE FUNDAMENTAL THINGS ABOUT AMERICA IS DISSENT, AND THE ABILITY TO DISSENT. IT NEEDS TO BE PEACEFUL AND THERE NEEDS TO BE REPERCUSSIONS FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT ACT IN A PEACEFUL WAY. BUT CONFRONTING THOSE WITH ARMORED PERSONNEL. YOU SORT OF OBSCURE THAT SEPARATION IF YOU ALLOW THE POLICE TO BECOME THE MILITARY…
WE SPEND BILLIONS AND BILLIONS OF DOLLARS AND MAYBE TWO INSTANCES OF TERRORISM. I THINK BY SUPPLYING ALL OF THIS FREE EQUIPMENT, MUCH OF WHICH IS, FRANKLY, INAPPROPRIATE, SHOULDN’T BE ON ANYBODY’S LIST OF AUTHORIZED EQUIPMENT.
IN THE 1033 PROGRAM THEY LIST 12,000 BAYONETS HAVE BEEN GIVEN OUT. WHAT PURPOSE ARE BAYONETS BEING GIVEN OUT FOR? >> SENATOR, BAYONETS ARE AVAILABLE UNDER THE PROGRAM. I CAN’T ANSWER WHAT A LOCAL POLICE FORCE WOULD NEED A BAYONET FOR. >> I CAN GIVE YOU AN ANSWER. NONE.
SO, WHAT’S PRESIDENT OBAMA’S ADMINISTRATION’S POSITION OF HANDING OUT BAYONETS? IT’S ON YOUR LIST. ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE IT OFF THE LIST? >> WE’RE GOING TO LOOK AT WHAT WE’RE PROVIDING UNDER THE ADMINISTRATION’S REVIEW — >> SO IT’S UNCLEAR WHETHER PRESIDENT OBAMA APPROVES OF 12,000 BAYONETS BEING GIVEN OUT? I WOULD THINK YOU COULD MAKE THAT DECISION LAST WEEK. >>
I THINK WE NEED TO REVIEW ALL THE EQUIPMENT WE’RE PROVIDING, SENATOR. WE, THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, DO NOT PUSH ANY OF THIS EQUIPMENT ON ANY POLICE FORCE. THE STATES DECIDE WHAT THEY NEED. >>MY UNDERSTANDING IS YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO DECIDE WHAT EQUIPMENT IS GIVEN OUT AND WHAT EQUIPMENT IS NOT GIVEN OUT. IF YOU DECIDED TOMORROW, IF PRESIDENT OBAMA DECIDED TOMORROW THAT MINE-RESISTANCE AMBUSH PROTECTION 20-TON VEHICLES ARE NOT APPROPRIATE FOR CITIES IN THE UNITED STATES, HE COULD DECIDE TOMORROW TO TAKE IT OFF THE LIST. YOU COULD DECIDE THIS TOMORROW.
MY QUESTION IS, WHAT IS THE ADMINISTRATION’S OPINION ON GIVING OUT MINE-RESISTANT AMBUSH PROTECTION 20-TON VEHICLES TO TOWNS ACROSS AMERICA — ARE YOU FOR IT OR AGAINST IT? >> OBVIOUSLY, WE DO IT SENATOR. WE’LL LOOK AT THAT. I CAN ALSO SAY WE CAN GIVE YOU ANECDOTES FOR MINE-RESISTANT AFTER BUCK PROTECTED VEHICLES FOR POLICE SHOOTOUTS. >> WE’VE BEEN TOLD THEY’RE ONLY SUPPOSED TO BE USED FOR TERRORISM, RIGHT? ISN’T THAT WHAT THE RULE IS? >> IT’S FOR COUNTERDRUG, WHICH COULD HAVE BEEN THE SHOOTOUT. I WOULD HAVE TO LOOK AT THE INCIDENT. COUNTERNARCOTICS, COUNTERTERRORISM.
>> I GUESS THE POINT I WISH TO MAKE IS THAT THESE ARE FAIRLY SIMPLE PROBLEMS AND COMMON SENSE APPLIED YEARS AGO L YEARS AGO. YOU KNOW, WE COULD HAVE FIXED THESE. WE’LL MAYBE FIX THEM, ALTHOUGH I HAVE MY DOUBTS. I’VE SEEN RARELY ANYTHING FIXED IN GOVERNMENT. I WOULD SAY WE’RE NOW RESPONDING TO A TRAGIC CIRCUMSTANCE, YOU KNOW, IN FERGUSON TO DO THIS. BUT I THINK THAT I — YOU KNOW, I FIND THESE DECISIONS TO BE VERY EASY TO MAKE. YOU JUST SHOULDN’T BE GIVING OUT MINE-RESISTANT VEHICLES. BAYONETS, I DON’T KNOW WHY WE HAVE TO GET TOGETHER AND HAVE A STUDY FOR MONTHS TO DECIDE BAYONETS ARE INAPPROPRIATE TO BE GIVEN OUT. REALLY, IT’S GOTTEN OUT OF CONTROL. AND THIS IS LARGELY BEEN SOMETHING THAT THE MILITARIZATION OF POLICE IS SOMETHING THAT’S GOTTEN SO FAR OUT OF CONTROL, AND WE’VE ALLOWED IT TO DISSEND ALONG WITH NOT A GREAT PROTECTION OF OUR CIVIL LIBERTIES AS WELL. SO, WE — YOU KNOW, WE SAY WE’RE GOING TO DO THIS.
IT’S OKAY IF IT’S FOR DRUGS. WELL, LOOK AT THE INSTANCES OF WHAT HAVE HAPPENED IN RECENT TIMES. THE INSTANCE IN GEORGIA JUST A COUPLE MONTHS AGO OF AN INFANT IN A CRIB GETTING A PERCUSSION GRENADE THROWN THROUGH A WINDOW IN A NO-KNOCK RAID. TURNS OUT THE INFANT, OBVIOUSLY, WASN’T INVOLVED IN THE DRUG TRADE BUT EITHER WAS THE INFANT’S FAMILY. HAPPENED TO BE IN THE WRONG PLACE AT THE WRONG TIME. NO ONE HAS EVEN BEEN INDICTED ON THIS. REALLY, THIS IS CRAZY, OUT OF CONTROL. GIVING MILITARY EQUIPMENT AND WITH THE BREAKDOWN OF THE WHOLE IDEA OF DUE PROCESS OF NO-KNOCK RAIDS AND NOT HAVING JUDGES ISSUE WARRANTS ANYMORE, YOU CAN SEE HOW THIS GETS
No indictments for Georgia SWAT team that burned baby with stun grenade
It was reported that Obama will no longer give U.S. Police; bayonets, weaponized aircraft, and grenade launchers, however, there was no mention if they were going to take back the 12,000 bayonets and other inappropriate equipment they had already dispensed.
In addition, it is clear from this hearing that the “war on drugs” has been lumped into the same category as terrorism “WE’VE BEEN TOLD THEY’RE (MRAPS) ONLY SUPPOSED TO BE USED FOR TERRORISM, RIGHT? ISN’T THAT WHAT THE RULE IS? >> IT’S FOR COUNTERDRUG, WHICH COULD HAVE BEEN THE SHOOTOUT. I WOULD HAVE TO LOOK AT THE INCIDENT. COUNTERNARCOTICS, COUNTERTERRORISM.”
VIDEO: Police pepper spraying and arresting students at UC Davis Peaceful Protest – THIS IS WHAT AN UNARMED PROTEST LOOKS LIKE
Imagine these unconstitutional thugs with badges equipped with bayonets, MRAPS, weaponized aircraft, and grenade launchers.
The REAL Bundy Ranch Story: Feds Forced to Surrender to American Citizens – THIS IS WHAT AN ARMED PROTEST LOOKS LIKE
Here is the video you WILL NOT SEE on the mainstream media. The BLM did NOT simply “leave” and return the Bundy cattle. They were going to KEEP the cattle — until a group of brave patriots and cowboys from 7 Western states stood up to sniper guns and FORCED the release themselves.
SHOCKING VIDEO: Cops crash pool party, slam 14-year old girl to the ground and chase kids with gun in Texas!
We the People can enforce our rights under the Constitution and Bill of Rights or we will surely lose our rights.
