Distinction between just and unjust laws - Essay Example

Distinction between Just and Unjust Law No Martin Luther King’s influential piece of diction in the form of ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’ has served as the bases for equality campaigners and Human rights advocates. Hence, this significant letter has established how any State law can be inhumane and unjust and it’s the public’s utmost responsibility to condemn it, and protest against it so the governments should take necessary steps to amend the unjust and unethical law. The law according to racial bigotry was condemned by King and civil liberty advocates joined hands with him.

When he wrote to reputable clergy men and they declared it as a civil disobedience against the law of the state (Boshier, 40-41). Even after years from the King’s anti-segregation campaigns one can witness inequality and chauvinism due to racist notions in the law abiding agencies of the State. The letter was written in 1963 to the government’s higher officials to remind them of their civil responsibility to maintain equality irrespective of the race and cast. In 1999, the lawmakers introduced a new gun law in Florida.

Since the residents of Florida receive a constitutional right to carry a gun. Therefore, authorities devised an inflexible and irrational law known as 10-20-life law. This law states if a gun is used in any felony the owner will receive a direct 10 year prison time and., if it used in a shooting 20 year prison time. And if at a person who is killed or injured, he will receive a 25-to- life time in prison (Downes and Cohen et al., 180). This rigid law encountered many guiltless cases, but they were charged with the harsh terms devised by the obtuse law makers.

Gun laws in Florida are most inflexible and distinct from the other States of USA. Florida gun laws have victimized many of the innocent citizens. Hence, these laws need amendment and require immediate attention of the jurisdiction. Two prominent cases of simple nature have been judged oddly in Florida State. George Zimmerman, Hispanic, 29 with a gun was on a guard for a gated community of Sanford, he shot a black 17 year old youth out of suspicion and in self-defense. Since Zimmerman called police earlier to report suspicion and declared his act as a self- defense act; the police released him after 5 hour investigation.

‘the stand your ground’ law enabled him to be free and police could not seize him due to it (Alarid,1). His case was taken to court six weeks after the shooting when the country wide protest began on such a racial bigotry and unjust law. However, the trial began and Zimmerman (who is pursuing his studies in criminal justice) won the case on the bases of self-defense and was released. Florida State law allows the volunteer watch guards and residents to hold gun with a gun permit. This constitutional right makes it difficult for the police to resolve such disputable cases.

Another case is of Marrisa Alexander, she is 31 and has three children, she was abused by her husband and she used her gun and shot in the wall to scare off her husband as a self defense tactic. She received a 20 year prison time and had to abandon her children due to this irrational law. Although, in this case Alexander’s ex-husband admitted his abuse on her and the shot was only to stop him from imposing force on her (a self defense strategy), but she was directly charged with 20 year prison time and Zimmerman who actually killed a boy is out of prison on the bases of ‘the stand your ground’ law.

This racial bigotry and ridicules application of the law is making the residents anxious of their authorities. Hence, first degree man slaughter case can be dismissed on the bases of self-defense, but a woman being abused cannot use a gun to shoot aimlessly to fright off the strangler (Finely, 424). The law makers of Florida have devised the two laws, but they do not coincide in any way and creating a chaos for the residents of Florida. They are defense less with their guns and can be shot by a stranger/enemy who uses the self-defense ‘the stand your ground’ constitutional right accurately and wisely (Wible, 125).

This law supports to kill instead of shooting aimlessly to scare off the threat. Hence, law makers have devised a law to support killing instead of doing it the other way round. Yet, there are many cases in which gunshot were not aimed at anyone, but the shooter received a heavy penalty of 20 year prison time. This unjust and irrational law needs instant attention of the authorities, either authority should revise the gun permit laws or they should not rule out the cases on the bases of racial bigotry, as it is evident in Zimmerman and Marrisa Alexander case.

Works Cited: Alarid, Leanne Fiftal. Top of Form Community-based Corrections. Cengage Learning, 2013. Print. Top of Form Boshier, Rosa, and Martin L. King. How to Analyze the Works of Martin Luther King Jr. Minneapolis, MN: ABDO Publishing, 2013. Print. Bottom of Form Top of Form Downes, David M, and Stanley Cohen et al. Crime, Social Control and Human Rights: From Moral Panics to States of Denial : Essays in Honour of Stanley Cohen. London: Routledge, 2011. Print. Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Top of Form Finley, Laura L.

 Encyclopedia of Domestic Violence and Abuse. , Santa Barbara, California:, 2013. Print. Top of Form Wible, Dan S. Halftime in America: The Challenge Years. S.l.: Iuniverse Com, 2012. Print. Bottom of Form Bottom of Form