I know. I just think every rich person feels some of that. But,guys who come from bad backgrounds are more likely to keep connections with unsavories from their past. Then the need to hang around in bars during the season while carrying a gun is not real wise.
True. According to one article I read today, he brought the gun with him because
So he dealt with the situation by bringing a gun for which he did not have a license, and leaving the safety off. Not by either dressing in a less flashy manner, or going someplace else he felt safer. Brilliant move.
Barring a miracle (or some sort of crazy jury nullification), he’s going away for a while. Meanwhile, Dan Rooney is sitting in Pittsburgh and giving himself a well-deserved self-congratulatory pat on the back for showing Plaxico the door when he did.
Actually, a grand jury gets the first shot at nullification. They can refuse to indict, and it’s possible they may go that route. Player on a popular team charged with a victimless “crime”. Of course, they’ll only hear from the prosecution, and grand juries tend to indict as requested. If there is an indictment, sounds like a tough case to defend.
Yeah, Buress was an idiot. Prolly shouldn’t have been in a bar at all. Shouldn’t have been packing, should have had the safety on if he insisted on packing. Still, sending the guy to prison for accidentally shooting himself seems harsh.
You’d think so, but New York has been dropping the Sullivan Act on people for over 100 years for much less, so barring the “celebrity” sympathy verdict, he’s going up the river.
The Mayor appears to be pushing hard for this and going after the hospital and maybe even Pierce. I think Plaxico royally screwed up this time and possibly beyond repair. He might end up lucky with only 2 years and early parole.
I’m wondering about the hospital that didn’t report treating him. That is an extreme breech of ethics, and I’m sure some nurses and doctors are going to be in deep shit over it.
Hospitals have to report treating any injury involving a gun. Someone in our office got smacked with a gun one day by an outsider who he owed money to, and had to go to the hospital for stiches. We had to talk to the County Prosecutor. Of course, nobody knew nothing.
I do have to wonder if “Harris Smith” is going to become as popular as “Ron Mexico” in sports lexicon. What kind of goof thinks that after being in the spotlight for such a long time nobody will recognize him when he goes to the hospital?
I think some big-name players could get away with it, specifically those with relatively ordinary faces and body-types. 5’9" Steve Smith, for example, would have an outside shot. 6’5" Plaxico Burress, however, is instantly going to stand out in any emergency room.
Agreed. The Mayor has been mightily pissed off about guns appearing on NYC streets that have been bought legally elsewhere, in places with “lax” gun control laws. So, Plaxico buys a gun legally in Florida, then brings it into NYC, without getting a license to do so, then he discharges it in a crowded night club. This is going to be a very public and very brutal prosecution.
I still think he’s going to end up pleading guilty, although I don’t know what kind of deal he can hope for. The evidence on the face of it looks pretty overwhelming - we know it’s his gun and that the permit was expired and out-of-state regardless. Of course, I could be wrong, because athletes in recent years have repeatedly shown the belief that people just won’t want to convict them.
The case would be more interesting if his license for the gun wasn’t expired. He’d at least have some hope of arguing that New York was required to give full faith and credit to his out of state license, just as they do to driver’s licenses. Not saying that’s necessarily a winning argument, but it’s moot without a valid license at the time of the incident.
Licenses issued outside of New York City are not recognized in New York City, and that includes licenses issued in New York State.
New York City has sole discretion over who gets a license to carry within the city. Therefore, Plaxico has no affirmative defense whatsoever as he did not have a NYC CCW permit.
That may be the law on the books…I’m suggesting it may not be constitutionally valid. In theory, I can see how it might be valid as applied to other licenses issued in New York state, and still be invalid as applied to licenses from other states. If I was facing prison time (and held a valid license from elsewhere), I’d certainly raise the argument.
According to Stewart on the Daly show,he was wearing sweat pants and had the gun in the waist. It slipped and went off. Isn’t there a safety on those things? That is certainly stupid. Then a teammate tried to hide the gun. (so I heard on TV). He is walking so not much damage was done. But he can serve 3 1/2 years for it.
This would make my top 25 list of “events I wish I could see a video tape of”…
I am such a wishy-washy person. I am of two minds here. Part of me thinks that if all I had to do was do my job and stay in line - for that kind of money it would be easy to stay in line. And so I don’t feel sorry for him.
But the other part of me that sees my own ability to be a screw-up feels pretty sorry for him. Man, to have so very much and then to throw it away - I dunno, it is a sadness that anyone can be that self-destructive.
Of course, if he was still in Pittsburgh, he probably wouldn’t have any problem getting a concealed carry permit, Pa. being generally more sensible on the subject.
On one hand, he’s a bleeding(heh) idiot for doing what he did. On the other hand, it’s a bloody travesty that it’s illegal for a law abiding citizen (correct me if I’m wrong, but I’ve never heard of Plexiglas being arrested for anything) to carry a gun in NYC. Likely he’s going up the river for a couple of years for shooting himself in the leg.
Reminds me of one of our local sportstalk jocks who came up with something he called “The Wheel of Misfortune.” Take five factors:
Guns
Alcohol/Drugs
Late Night
Bars/Clubs
Women
Give an athlete any three of them and you’ll see the results in the next day’s paper.
Yeah, I mean what’s the worst that can happen? It’s not like the gun is going to go off randomly, Plaxico is a seasoned gun owner, and knows not to do anything idiotic like carry it in the waistband of his sweatpants while walking through a crowded night club.