Legalizing Murder

So far this is not yet legal. The NRA is working on that, though.

 A gunman opened fire on morning commuters in Houston on Monday, injuring at least six people before being fatally shot by police, authorities said.

Several of the victims suffered gunshot wounds to their extremities and a couple of the injuries was more serious, Fire Department spokesman Richard Mann told reporters.

But, are they playing their music too loud or is there some other technicality. 

Nick Julian IV lived with his parents next door to Ayala. He said he first heard the loud music while watching car shows with his father. Julian's girlfriend and her daughter were spending the night, and he didn't want the music to wake them.

Then Stand Your Ground.

"And this was all because he was playing music too loud?" the operator said.

"No, ma'am," Julian answered.

He later said: "I was completely scared for my life. I've never been in this kind of situation. I didn't know what to do, other than try to protect . . ."

"So you went over there with a gun in your hand?" the operator said.

"No, ma'am," Julian said.

"How did you have your gun on you, sir?" the operator said.

"He made threats," Julian said. "And I always have a gun on me."

Don't worry. The gun industry has your back.

A 2012 Tampa Bay Times investigation showed that the law has been applied unevenly and in unforeseen ways. People have escaped prosecution for taking a life while involved in criminal activities, for firing on unarmed persons, even when they started the confrontation that led to the shooting.

"Stand your ground" caught on. Similar laws spread to more than 30 other states.

Now it's an industry. There are subscription services that offer to advise gun owners before they have to make a life-or-death decision and provide immediate legal and financial support afterward.

If that shooter in Houston had lived, he might be on the phone to them right now.

Boston Globe bookmark. Some facts that are good, mostly not.