Shooting Pix at a Gun Conference
Saturday, September 29, 2012 at 6:12AM If I am going to continue writing about the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman case, I need to learn as much as possible about guns and carrying concealed weapons. Last night, I went to the Hyatt Regency Orlando, Florida, Airport to register for the 27th Annual Gun Rights Policy Conference that runs through Sunday. Today, Mark O’Mara will be one of the guest speakers.
I must say I had some very interesting conversations and met quite a few people, which I will report on in a future article. One was with an attorney who went through — and is still going through — a SYG nightmare with a 22-year-old client. I will dedicate an article exclusively to this case.
Meanwhile, please take a look at a few of the pictures I took last night at the conference. Today, there will be many more, I’m sure.
The first one is looking toward the hotel from inside the airport terminal.
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Reader Comments (18)
Dave: Great titile! lol Enjoyed the the pictures, too.
One of those butter croissants would go good with my coffee, right about now. : - )
I am glad to hear you are attending. And I'm glad to hear that you continue to keep following Trayvon's case.
According to the schedule, Mr. O'Mara will speak today at 11:20. 'Protecting the Right to Protect' is the title topic, I believe.
Just a few more things:
2nd Amendment Foundation Brochure
And this:
Global Grind | Really?! Zimmerman Defense Lawyer Set To Speak At Gun-Rights Convention (DETAILS)
I hope you relax and enjoy yourself. (A little break is good for you; and much deserved.)
However, I'll probably faint if you come back with a gun tucked in your waistband, and start writing about going to the shooting range. ●‿●
Great music! Madison Rising. Looks like a fun event. Enjoy!
Dave~~great pics. I can't wait to hear O'Mara's speech. Lots of pics of Mark please!!! Also, get a doggy bag and bring us back some of that food.
Nun-uhuh-nuts!
That's directed at moi, no one else Politics--Gun-Rights--Predudice. I must be insane. If Dave is going to continue his coverage I'll turn off other noise and allow myself to read it.
I'm curious as to the reception O'Mara will receive, and THAT is certainly going to be presented here. It will present a litmus gauge as to how they really feel about this.
Mon Ami~~you and me both!! I will just sit here in the penalty box and watch them face off. I expect a bit of elbowing and lots of high sticking. Ouch!
OFF TOPIC:
Two of you posted StateoftheInternet's Y/T's last night. I've never missed one, I like the spirit, get a kick out of the sign off language. The Fword was front and centre from the second the defendant's NEN call was released.
Moving away from the shredding he's done of the defendant's statements and back to the lights.
There a story to be told there, BUT would a jury ever get to see a slice? That the CCTV's computer time stamped is off kilter is understandable and easily explained in layman's terms.But could they even use it to show no headlights pull into the clubhouse to discredit Zimmerman's reinactment story? That's techie---so it's anyone's guess.
It doesn't mean bloggers can't consider it.
I need a sing off button~~signed off.
Dave: So, O'Mara didn't speak--after all? I guess he got a clue, huh?
Anyway, here is what I believe to be a really rushed article from Click Orlando.
Quote: "At the Gun Rights Policy conference in Orlando was hoping to hear George Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O'Mara speak about the case, but O'Mara would not."
[Yes, he sure did speak and, as far as I know, I've got the whole video.]
♪♪♫♪♪ Yodel a eeeeeeeeee hoooooooo♫♪♫♪ It works for me...
Snoopy, great analogy!
Maybe I will buy a few tickets for the Upper Deck! "Nose bleed seats". Sorry, I could not stop myself!
Wail*
Dave~~ O'Mara gave a speech. Get that video loaded so we can hear what he did talk about. Of course, being a man of integrity he would not discuss the case he is so diligently handling.
Mon Ami, I quit discussing the Z case but I can handle talking about my man, Mark....yeeehaww
Dave: Oooh. I'm sorry. He did speak. Here is a partial video:
Central Florida News:
VIDEO
Until we get yours!
(Sorry again. I didn't refresh.)
I guess he would not have spoken if he was not representing George Zimmerman. I should have read the article better!
Egg on face time!!
Dave~~although I have backed away from the Zimmerman case for the time being, I am really interested in learning more about any SYG cases.
Periodically, I check to see if Judge Lester made his ruling in the Anita Smithey, an Oviedo woman, who used rape as a SYG defense but each time I come up empty handed. Lester was going to give both sides the opportunity to submit written arguments and that was months ago. Smithey is charged with second-degree murder.
Then we have the woman who got twenty years compliments of Angela Corey for firing a shot at her abusive husband and putting a bullet hole in the wall. It is too bad that she was a poor shot and didn't put the bullet directly into his family jewels. She probably would have got the SYG immunity for that. If not, it would have been well worth the 20 years for giving the creep a high-pitched voice to live with.
I am looking forward to the following case...One was with an attorney who went through — and is still going through — a SYG nightmare with a 22-year-old client. I will dedicate an article exclusively to this case.
Anyhoo, it was good to have you out in the field getting the scoop first hand and I look forward to see Mark's speech in its entirety. Thanks...
P.S.....Is there any chance you may purchase a ten gallon hat and pack a couple of six guns now?
Thanks for being our eyes an ears in the belly of the beast.
Matey~~ after all that good food, I'll betcha Jonah had a whale of a time.
Dave: Really, from the little clip, I thought it was a good speech. He can tell a good tale, and he can make me listen.
I thought Mr. O'Mara took it right to where he is going with Georgie boy’s defense, then spoke in general terms. And he gave an interesting shrug. lol
However, he is defending a client that has done everything he so carefully distanced himself from.
Unfortunately, Mr. O’Mara’s client did not use common sense. Instead, his client recklessly pursued an unarmed, un-threatening, candy-toting; cell phone speaking teenager. And his client attacked and deliberately aimed and pulled the trigger. All as the teenager showed common sense by he screaming for help and trying to escape.
The evidence will show that, imo.
But, at an immunity hearing, where weight is given only to a preponderance of the evidence—I’m not so sure. Georgie boy will have to take the stand, though.
I hope the prosecution shows up prepared. Prepared to win justice for Trayvon Martin, and nothing less.
Quote from O’Mara’s Speech: Sept. 29, 2012
Someone is going to hit me and blacken my eye; or break a rib; or whatever—is considered to be great bodily force. At least I perceived it. So, if that happens to me and I have a gun; then under the statute, I don’t have to retreat. I can stand my ground. I can react to that force, using up to and including deadly force.
Above is a part that really stood out for me.
Georgie supposedly perceived the threat of great bodily injury from Trayvon when they met at the ‘T’ of the dog-walk intersection. Later—supposedly—Trayvon even trapped Georgie and prevented him from escaping by ‘mounting’ him.
The only trouble is—the evidence does not support this. No how; no way. There is not one shred of evidence, other than Georgie’s own story, that any of this occurred.
There is no evidence that Trayvon ever struck Georgie—no bruising on Trayvon’s knuckles; no scrapes on his hands; a little blood from Georgie on Trayvon’s inside shirt—probably from being manhandled by Georgie, after his death. But no DNA elsewhere; none on the gun, or even the holster; nothing.
We see minor wounds on Georgie; perhaps wounds that Georgie’s deranged mind could perceive as someone using great bodily force against him—but there is no evidence that Trayvon caused those injuries.
Nothing. It is not there. No one knows how Georgie got the booboos. Maybe Shellie hit him earlier with a frying pan. It’s just as plausible.
If O’Mara can’t prove how Georgie got his wounds, how is he going to argue Georgie had the right to not retreat?
Or, is he going to say Trayvon would not allow Georgie to retreat because Trayvon ‘mounted’ Georgie. Again, it is really only Georgie’s version of the story that presents this. A few witnesses, maybe, also support this. However, it was so dark, (and I’m being kind)—I don’t think any of the witnesses are really reliable. Not to mention the fact that Georgie, in his own words, explained how he gained ‘wrist control’ and carefully 'aimed' the gun, while he was 'mounted' by Trayvon.
What about the center side legs of Trayvon’s trousers? I haven’t seen any testing done on his beige pants. (Maybe I missed it, though.) If Trayvon was mounted on Georgie, shouldn’t there be something of Georgie there? What about grass stains on the knees? There should be something somewhere to support Georgie’s blatantly bizarre story.
So far, nothing. imo
Dave~~we are hearing a lot about a Dennis hearing. Here is the case that brought the Dennis hearing into focus. From everything I read, Dennis had his charge reduced to aggrevated battery from attempted first-degree murder. I did not understand a quarter of what I was reading. lol I do not know how badly Gloria was injured. It shows pic of 50 yr old Clarence Dennis at the Source.
Location details: A home, unclear if the vicitm and defendant lived together in Okeechobee, Okeechobee County, on Aug. 05, 2006
What happened: Defendant, Clarence Dennis, hit Gloria McBride during domestic argument. He claimed he was defending himself after victim hit him in head with long-neck beer bottle. Dennis said the woman was injured by the broken bottle as they struggled.
The outcome: Dennis was charged with attempted first-degree murder which was later reduced to aggravated battery. Jury found him guilty of felony battery and sentenced him to 60 months in prison. Supreme Court ruled in 2010 that Dennis should have been given pretrial hearing on his "stand your ground" defense, though it was "harmless error" since jury found him guilty.
Case decision made by: Prosecutor
Source
Dave~~ just before Dennis' trial, the state reduced the charge to aggravated battery. I still haven't figured that one out but I believe it had something to do with Dennis being denied an evidentiary hearing on SYG. It went before the appellate court and my brain went dead as I was reading all about it.