The notorious Stand Your Ground case of Trevor Dooley, who was convicted of manslaughter and open display of a weapon in 2012, is back in the news. It’s back because a state appeals court has ordered a new trial in the shooting death of a Dooley neighbor over a skateboard incident at a Valrico playground basketball court. It has to do with the instructions that the jury received on the justifiable use of deadly force.
This is now about legal nuance. What’s blatantly obvious, however, is that this is more about a gun culture–whether the fatal shooting was in a playground or a Muvico theater. In short, even if you have a permit to carry, what the hell are you doing packing a weapon as you head to a playground or movie theater?