Dumb and Dumber

I have said it before and I will say it again. Professional athletes and nightclubs do not mix. Add someone carrying a gun who does not fully respect it and you have a bad combination indeed.

Former Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress found this out the hard way. He jammed a gun into the waistband of his sweatpants and went out for a night on the town. It fell into his pants, went off, and injured him. It could have been a lot worse.

It was stupid and irresponsible in execution, but not necessarily logic. Professional athletes are targets for hateful threats or designs on their money. In other countries they have been killed over poor play. It is not dumb for an athlete to consider carrying a weapon. Carrying it in the waistband of his sweats is. Burress should have gone the legal route, gotten a conceal and carry permit, and worn it in a holster.

OK, so he was not acting brightly. Someone besides him could have gotten hurt. What should New York do with this character? Slapping two years in prison on this man went way over the top. He made a stupid mistake which was criminal. I cannot fathom this man spending two years in jail while some child molestors get less time.

This is apparently an anti-gun statement made by the authorities in New York. Make an example out of Burress. You have to wonder how many intentional criminals go free after doing much less time than this inept example of foolishness. It is not fair to Burress to be held up as an example. A better idea would be to have him star in a campaign explaining how to properly get yourself a permit and carry your weapon. Make him do some time in home confinement, then let him get back to work. Another NFL receiver got drunk and killed someone with their car. He did a lot less time than you might have expected or wanted.

Also, they obviously want him to be an example to other athletes and entertainers with more money than sense. The only thing they will see today is that Burress got shafted by the man. A better example would be an educational program starring Burress produced by the National Rifle Association and the State of New York explaining the legal process for conceal and carry as well as proper gun safety. The target audeince would be more receptive to that than an unfair sentence.

Burress got a bad deal. An appeals court needs to correct this injustice. Burress was dumb, but the justice system in this case was dumber.