What punishment should she get? (III)

[Cerek the Barbaric]

In honor of Donut's previous threads, I've been keeping an eye on the news for stories of women receiving excessive or unusual punishment. I finally have a case to present to the good members of IronWorks.

This incident just occurred 2 days ago, so the actual punishment has not been decided yet. This will give IronWorkers a chance to voice their opinion before-hand...and then we can see what punishment the woman actually recieves.

This past Friday morning, a nurse from the hospital I used to work at was arrested in Asheville, NC (about 100 miles from our hometown). She had committed a "drive-by shooting" on an abortion clinic. She drove by the clinic and fired a round from a 12 gauge shotgun at the building as she drove by. A short time later, she returned to the clinic and drove by two more times...firing from the shotgun at the building on each pass.

Nobody was injured in the shootings, and she voluntarily turned herself in to the police after the second shooting.

So....what punishment should she get?

[ 02-16-2003, 01:00 AM: Message edited by: Cerek the Barbaric ]

[Attalus]

Hi, Cerek. 2-10 years for unlawful use of a deadly eapon? LOL, I dunno. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[LennonCook]

10-15 years imprisonment, and remove her right to buy or use firearms.

[Lord of Alcohol]

At least 2 years, hopefully more. The fact that she didnt hit anyone is irrelevant. She could have. What she did is called domestic terrorism.

[Timber Loftis]

Mmmm.... I don't really have a personal opinion as to the proper punishment on this one. I'd look to the jurisdiction's laws and likely add up:
* Wanton Endangerment
* (possibly) illegal possession and/or use of an unregistered firearm
* disturbing the peace
* (possibly) use of a deadly weapon
* (likely) use of a firearm within city limits

Again, all this depends on the jurisdiction's laws. But, she's not likely up for attempted murder since she wasn't aiming at a specific person. Attempted mureder, if it applied, would carry the harshest penalty for sure.

But, she deserves a smack-down for being unfathomably stupid. If she believes so much in her cause as to sacrifice herself to this act, why would she go turn herself in? Assuming you're a believer, doesn't the "idiots-who-shoot-up-abortion-clinics" cause need as many soldiers as it can get?? If it's worth risking your life/freedom for isn't it worth lying for??

So, I say give her 35 years for impersonating a martyr.

[Ronn_Bman]

Timber, what about firing a weapon into an occupied building? Isn't that more specific than wanton endangerment?

[ 02-16-2003, 06:55 PM: Message edited by: Ronn_Bman ]

[Timber Loftis]

Jurisdiction's laws would dictate, but I think it would be akin to "wanton endangerment" - which is actually a pretty serious thing. Same as driving a car into a crowd or something like that.

[Jeffi0]

Originally posted by Cerek the Barbaric: In honor of Donut's previous threads, I've been keeping an eye on the news for stories of women receiving excessive or unusual punishment. I finally have a case to present to the good members of IronWorks. This incident just occurred 2 days ago, so the actual punishment has not been decided yet. This will give IronWorkers a chance to voice their opinion before-hand...and then we can see what punishment the woman actually recieves. This past Friday morning, a nurse from the hospital I used to work at was arrested in Asheville, NC (about 100 miles from our hometown). She had committed a "drive-by shooting" on an abortion clinic. She drove by the clinic and fired a round from a 12 gauge shotgun at the building as she drove by. A short time later, she returned to the clinic and drove by two more times...firing from the shotgun at the building on each pass. Nobody was injured in the shootings, and she voluntarily turned herself in to the police after the second shooting. So....what punishment should she get?

I say ten years or so. BTW, it isn't Ironworks anymore. It's Chocogaming.

[Tancred]

A few points off her driving license might be a good idea too. Firing a shotgun out of a car window sounds like reckless driving to ME...

[Cerek the Barbaric]

Originally posted by Timber Loftis: Mmmm.... I don't really have a personal opinion as to the proper punishment on this one. I'd look to the jurisdiction's laws and likely add up: * Wanton Endangerment * (possibly) illegal possession and/or use of an unregistered firearm * disturbing the peace * (possibly) use of a deadly weapon * (likely) use of a firearm within city limits

Well, I was really hoping Donut would show up to offer his opinion. As with the two cases he presented earlier - I deliberately left out one salient point about the shooting.

The fact that she didn't hit anyone actually is very relevant to the case.....because she did the first shooting at midnight, then came back around 3am and shot at the building again. So there was no "endangerment" in this case. The only result of the shooting was about $500.00 property damage.

So the "Wanton Endangerment" probably won't apply (unless the clinic has a night guard which is highly unlikely).
As for the illegal possession of an uregistered firearm - to the best of my knowledge, there is no such thing in NC. You have to get a permit to carry a concealed weapon...but no permit is required for carrying an unconcealed weapon.

I know this was the case about 10-12 yrs ago, because I checked with our local PD after graduating from college. I was looking for work and planning to move from our quaint little town to one of the "big cities" of NC (Durham, Raleigh, Charlotte, etc). When I went to the local police station to check on a permit for the two handguns I own, I was told I didn't need a permit - as long as the weapon was NOT concealed. According to the law...I could technically walk down the street with a pistol sticking out of my waistband and be perfectly legal. Now, if I were to behave in a "threatening manner"...then the police could arrest me and the charge would be more serious since a handgun was involved...but it is not illegal to just carry a gun around.

Remember - this is the South - where it isn't uncommon to see pick-up trucks with rifle racks in them.

Back to the case - my guess is that she will probably get probation, community service, and a hefty fine. She is probably facing misdemeanor charges of disturbing the peace, discharging a firearm in within city limits, and vandalism.

I'll let you know what she gets once I find out. I also have a good friend that is a policewoman in Charlotte, NC. I'll ask her for clarification on NC gun ownership laws to see if they have changed.