- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 09/Aug 04:52

Stand-your-ground? Yes please

THE EDITOR: To all the critics of the proposed "stand-your-ground" legislation: Have you ever had three men with hoodies and guns scale your wall at 1 am? No? So your idea of home security is what? Leaving the porch light on and hoping for the best? Have you ever had someone set your car on fire in your yard while your children scream from inside the house? But sure, go ahead and say “violence is never the answer.” Easy to say when you're not the one being hunted like prey on your own property. Have you ever been shot at while standing in your own front yard – only to be told by the law that you should have waited until you were bleeding out before taking action? Yeah. Thought not. See, there’s this magical thinking that some people subscribe to: the idea that calling the police is a force field. That criminals will wait politely at the gate until an officer arrives – preferably with Crix and cheese. Meanwhile, in the real world, the average response time is 15 minutes – and that’s if you’re lucky. A bullet takes less than a second. But let’s entertain the critics. What would they have you do? Offer the intruder a glass of water and a motivational speech? Hide under the bed and text a goodbye message to your family group chat? Ask the arsonist if he’s open to conflict resolution therapy? Or maybe, just maybe, you’re supposed to do what any responsible, law-abiding citizen with a pulse would do – defend your home, your family, and your life. Because here's the truth: Stand-your-ground isn't a call to violence; it’s a declaration that you, the victim, are not the criminal. It’s a reminder that you should not have to apologise for surviving. You should not have to second-guess saving your children. And you sure as hell should not have to die politely in the name of political correctness. So, yes, give me stand-your-ground. Give me the right to fight back. Give me the legal power to say: Not today, not in my house, and not without consequences. And to the critics: Until you’ve had to choose between a 9mm and a eulogy, maybe sit this one out. SIMON WRIGHT Chaguanas The post Stand-your-ground? Yes please appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.