In the early morning hours in St. Petersburg several weeks ago over 50 shots rang out and ripped through a Barlett Park home. Inside, 8 year old Paris Whitehead Hamilton was sleeping. Three of those bullets struck the girl, killing her while she slept. This happened in a scene played out many times across the country involving gang retaliation and assault weapons.
It didn’t take long for officers to arrest the first of four suspects in his apartment. What was found there didn’t surprise the police as assault weapons, drug paraphernalia, and firearms are fairly commonplace in the ruthless world of street gangs. This article from the St. Petersburg Times compares owning an assault weapon to any other teenage trend in that everyone involved in that sort of scene wants or already owns one.
Stories like this set off a brush fire of debate between the rights of gun owners and the need for safety in communities. When gun dealers can carry assault weapons, those weapons will get into the wrong hands. On one side of the argument is the position that these types of firearms are good for nothing but killing people and should be banned again altogether.
On the other side are those people who think any infringement on the right to bear arms is a direct attack on the constitution. It is a sticky subject and perhaps one that doesn’t have a right or wrong answer. In a perfect world we wouldn’t have to worry about gangsters shooting into our homes in the middle of the night and we wouldn’t be concerned about whether or not had the moral aptitude to responsible own and operate firearms.
Although people can currently own an assault rifle, there are several gun laws that restrict what types of weapons can be possessed and how they must be handled. When you face weapons charges, you can believe that your case will be scrutinized carefully by the prosecution in an effort to not appear soft on gun charges.
Whether you made a mistake in the handling of a weapon or you are falsely accused of a crime, we can help fight these charges and defend your rights. You need a local, experienced defense attorney who can provide an aggressive defense and legal expertise in Florida criminal courts. Contact us from a free legal consultation.