Burress may have been stupid but...

[Hoosier8]

this is even more so. Up to 15 years for "possession" and only up to one for reckless endangerment? Looks like NYC is a good city to stay out of!

Burress faces 3½ to 15 years in prison if convicted of the weapon possession charges, and up to one year if convicted of the reckless endangerment charge

Plaxico Burress indicted on weapons charges by New York grand jury - NFL - SI.com

 

[melensdad]

This is unjust. Period. No way to argue that justice is served.

I said when Burress was arrested that he was an idiot, BUT that gun owners need to stand up and defend him against the probable injustice that will come out of the event. I was pretty soundly boo'ed by other members here. Very few people agreed with me, largely because Burress is an IDIOT who knowingly broke the law. Well I agree, he is an idiot and he knowingly broke the law, but the law is ALSO BROKEN in New York. The fact that Burress should be bitch slapped is not in question, he should be. The fact that he is facing 3.5 to 15 years in jail is insanity and unjust and that law needs to be bitch slapped down too.

This is a man who had a carry permit, and when he moved was denied a new permit. This is a man who is in a job where is life is threatened by 'fans' and ne're-do'ells and in a career where he is at risk from criminals and another pro-player was gunned down at his home in a robbery only a month prior. So how is it 'just' that he was denied a permit in his new home state? How it is justice that he serves 3.5 to 15 years in jail?

As gun owners we need to get our heads out of our butts and look at the overall ramifications when celebs get arrested for being idiots. They may be idiots, but it does not mean they should be subject to UNJUST LAW.

/rant

 

[rambone]

This is awful. He has sacrificed enough with his recovery time and jeopardized status in the league. He definitely learned his lesson. He didn't commit a crime.

Rarely do sports commentators make political comments but when Bob Costas disparaged gun owners after the Burress accident, it made me sick.

This reminds me of the people in Britain who are serving life-sentences for murder because they defended their family, and shot an intruder in their own home.

 

[DustinG]

The guy is an idiot, but where is the NRA, where is the GOA? Gun owners need to stand up for these people, it is not a crime to carry a gun according to the constitution, I'm sorrry. Every case like this needs to be fought, it should never be illegal to carry a gun. These crazy libs will push past whatever line you give them, so if you set your line at everyone owning a gun and carrying one with no restrictions, they would have never gotten this far...

 

[melensdad]

The guy is an idiot, but where is the NRA, where is the GOA? Gun owners need to stand up for these people, it is not a crime to carry a gun according to the constitution, I'm sorrry. Every case like this needs to be fought, it should never be illegal to carry a gun. These crazy libs will push past whatever line you give them, so if you set your line at everyone owning a gun and carrying one with no restrictions, they would have never gotten this far...

It is highly unlikely that Burress is a member of either organization, and it is highly unlikely that either group would take up the mantel on its own because they have more to loose and little to gain from their involvement.

 

[rambone]

BREAKING NEWS

*** UPDATE ***
​

​

Plaxico Burress pleads guilty, gets 2-year prison sentence

Plaxico Burress sat in the fifth row of seats in Room 1100 of the New York

As his lawyer would say later, there was no way out. So Burress, the former Giants wide receiver, pled guilty to a single charge of attempted criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, accepting the Manhattan district attorney’s offer of a two-year prison sentence rather than trying to beat New York’s strict gun laws in a trial.

He will be sentenced on Sept. 22, when he will begin serving his jail term. The minimum time he’s facing is roughly 20 months, so he will likely be released in May of 2011, when he will be 34 and out of the NFL for 2 1/2 seasons. He also has two years' probation to follow.

“Unfortunately, there is no legal defense we can offer,” Ben Brafman, Burress’ lawyer, told the court in accepting the plea deal. Brafman huddled with Judge Michael Melkonian and assistant DA John Wolfstaetter for several minutes before Burress entered a plea of not guilty, though that was quickly changed when Wolfstaetter said the plea offer that had been on the table for months was finally to be accepted.

“This is a perfect example of how bad judgment sometimes has very terrible consequences, consequences that are far more severe than may be justified,” Brafman told reporters outside the court building. The DA’s office had no comment.

Burress took a loaded gun into a midtown club late on Nov. 28 and accidentally shot himself in the thigh, setting off the chain of events that led to Thursday’s plea. Mayor Michael Bloomberg and DA Robert Morgenthau both took the uncharacteristic steps of publicly calling for jail time for Burress, who was released by the Giants in April.

“This was never a level playing field from day one,” Brafman said. “In this case, being a celebrity hurt him... If he were John Doe, he would have walked out of that club. Nobody at the hospital reported a gunshot wound. If he were irresponsible, if he were not a law-abiding citizen, he could have thrown that gun away.”

Burress also took the unusual step of testifying before the Manhattan

And since that day, with the facts not in dispute, Burress considered a plea deal. His wife, Tiffany, a lawyer, is pregnant with their second child; Brafman said Burress only decided to accept the plea deal within the last 72 hours.

“The law does not allow there to be any discretion,” Brafman said. “We tried for eight months to get a plea for less than two years without success. If he went to trial and were convicted, he faced a significantly greater prison sentence. After an agonizing period of discussion, Plaxico decided he wanted to do this, put this behind him as quickly as possible, in the hope that when he is released he will be able to resume his stellar professional football career.”

That career, which was as bright as any in recent Giants history -- he caught the winning pass in Super Bowl XLII and signed a $35-million extension before the 2008 season -- seems very much over now. He faces a stiff suspension from the NFL when he leaves prison, and that’s if a team wants to sign him.

Brafman said he hoped NFL commissioner Roger Goodell would impose a suspension that takes effect while Burress is in jail, but there’s no precedent for that. Both Michael Vick and Donte Stallworth, two players who have recently served jail time, have suspensions pending during the season.

This happened back in 2008. He's already served almost a year! Not to mention his carreer being grossly sidetracked, if not ruined. I think he has learned his lesson. Don't defend yourself in NYC.

This is B***S***.
​

 

[Dryden]

I've said this a few times on this forum:
EVERY New Yorker knows that bringing a gun (ANY gun, permit or not) into an establishment that serves alcohol, is a felony....with manditory sentences. Buress should have known better and he's being treated just like every other NY citizen.

I do NOT agree with this law. But, it is New York and the politicans don't trust the people of their state. It's one of the reasons my wife and I moved out 5 years ago. We love Indiana and we have never regretted our decision.