I may have committed to stay neutral in the political thread, but I made no such claim for this thread.
I still stand on the platform that these two, by leaving their home and engaging the crowd, we’re l
ooking for trouble and deserve whatever comes their way.
#GetOffMySide
Gun-waving St. Louis couple sues news photographer Bill Greenblatt
I understand the sentiment, but the same (bolded) can be said for the crowd who broke into their community and made the couple feel threatened, especially given the widespread violence and crime that was taking place elsewhere, which is why I usually don't find it to be a compelling argument. Moreover, under the circumstances, I think the couple were totally justified to come out onto their own property with weapons in hand.
That said, pointing weapons at people is a crime. It's also stupid. The only time you should point a gun at someone is if you are going to shoot them, and the only reason to shoot them is if they are an immediate threat to life or property. That did not appear to be the case here.
I think the photography lawsuit is laughable and is likely to get tossed. As
@AWP says, "play stupid games, win stupid prizes." I also think charging the couple, especially the woman, was the right thing to do. She was actively pointing a gun (which may or may not have been some kind of starter pistol??) at a huge crowd of people, in a situation that I do not believe called for lethal force. But I'm also thinking that there are some mitigating circumstances that might warrant a reduction (or even dropping) of charges, or some type of plea bargain with community service or something similar.