As an LSU fan, I was happy to hear last week that the charges against Malik Nabers were going to be dropped and he would enter the season without any legal charges hanging over him. However, after further reflection, are we doing more damage to this young kid than good? The reality is had you or I been caught with a gun, we would be arrested and been forced to face the music and so should he. There is no doubt in my mind that after it was learned that he was a star football player at LSU, the entire picture changed and that simply is not right. As a adults, we complain every day about all these young kids running around with guns, but we change our tune when it's a star player on our team. I'm as guilty as the next person. The reality is we have to step back and allow the legal process to run its course because allowing them to walk free is sending a dangerous message to other players and other young people that could have deadly consequences. That brings me to Alabama's true freshman sensation Brandon Miller, who was not charged in with murder after he brought the weapon to his buddies that eventually led to the death of a young lady. Miller claims he didn't know it was going to be used in a crime. What? Miller received a text for him to grab a bookbag and bring it to his buddies because it had his friend's joint (slang for gun) in it and he needed it. How do you not know that something bad is about to happen? Did Miller think his buddies were about to go to IHOP and wanted to make sure no one tried to steal their pancakes? This is a perfect example of a star athlete, projected lottery pick in the next NBA draft, receiving special treatment simply because of his athlete talents. We all know that had Brandon Miller been just another poor, African American kid running the streets, he would have been charged with murder and sitting in jail with his other two buddies. The saddest part is a large portion of their fan base is defending Miller and say he did nothing wrong, and many of us would be doing the same thing, if he was one of our players. As fans, myself included, we need to learn to stop justifying/supporting an athlete's actions because he is on our team and just allow the justice system to work like it was intended for all of us. If we truly want to see a change in all of these young kids running the streets with guns, we need to take a stand against it, regardless of who they may be!
First time concealed carry without permit of legally owned firearm is a misdemeanor and something to the tune of $200 fine. #nuthinburger Now if he was drinking (mardi gras, so...) and armed, that would indicate xtreme poor judgment on his part but not necessarily a crime. Its NOLA, guessing 7/10 people at any given moment were armed and likely less than 3/10 with a ccwp.
So what kind of message are we sending these young kids? We all complain about the guns on the streets, but we're not willing to prosecute them when we catch them on the street with illegal weapons, regardless if it's a misdemeanor or a felony. That little misdemeanor may get that young person to change their life and not only save his/her life, but save the lives of countless others from another senseless gun incident.
We're sending the same message we send when we pay them to play football. "Welcome to bigtime, corrupt college Football, we fix all your legal problems."
I have read nowhere that the gun was illegal. Concealment w/o permit is a misdemeanor and amounts to nothing more than a fine for first time offenders. If caught with drugs or high/drunk, that changes equation. If you want to debate disarmament of the population or just precrime of armed young black men, take it to FSA. Ill add that I, like many, believe that permits are BS and constitutional infringement. No point in debating.
Great point. It's just sad, but it's just a reflection of our society and how out of control things have gotten. We should remove college from its name because this fiasco has nothing to do with college and getting a good education!
A kid with so much of a future, glad they didn’t ruin his chances. The Bama kid brought the gun to its owner- no foul in my book.
