Former Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D-MT) seems to already have his mind made up that a Missoula homeowner who shot a German exchange student is guilty of homicide charges. The former Governor, eyeing the Democratic primary for the White House in 2016, also bashed the National Rifle Association, calling the NRA the “National Republican Assembly.”
Here’s the video from MSNBC:
Meanwhile, the German government is threatening to prosecute an American citizen under German law, as KTVQ-TV reports:
In a letter to Gov. Steve Bullock on April 30, the German consul general in San Francisco said he has confidence in the ability of Missoula authorities to prosecute Kaarma under Montana laws.
But he also suggested Missoula authorities may not have the final word.
“You might find it useful to know that German penal law also applies for crimes committed against German nationals abroad, enabling German state prosecutors to open investigations in such cases,” Consul General Peter Rothen wrote April 30.
This news comes after Gov. Steve Bullock (D-MT) expressed sympathy to the German government: (why doesn’t he also express sympathy for the people in Missoula whose homes are being robbed night after night?)
Responding to the German consul general’s concerns, Gov. Steve Bullock this week expressed “profound sympathy” on Montana’s behalf to the German government and friends and family of a 17-year-old exchange student killed in Missoula last month.
At his weekly media availability on Friday, Bullock said he doesn’t know all of the issues in the case, but reiterated that he has trust and faith in the criminal justice system in Missoula and believes officials are acting appropriately.
“From everything I’ve seen, it looks like they’re going to charge the case and let the facts sort out,” he said. “So I don’t see this as a ‘castle doctrine’ issue.”
I sure hope prosecutors got the facts before filing charges, instead of just seeing how it all plays out.
Responding to several international news outlets with interviews, Gary Marbut with the Montana Shooting Sports Assocation had this to say in an email to supporters:
1) Montana and Montana people have a long tradition, culture and heritage of owning and using firearms for legitimate purposes. Our culture is suitable for Montana people. We don’t ask people in other places to change their culture to please us and we’d appreciate the same consideration from them.
2) Before any rush to judgement about the propriety of Montana gun laws, and concerns arising our of the recent Missoula incident, we need to let the justice system do its job. Until the justice system has completed its job, it is not possible to say responsibly that something is broken and needs to be fixed.
3) Finally, I’ve found it very difficult to get the media to correct the misunderstanding and assertion that MSSA and I created the “castle doctrine” in Montana with HB 228 in 2009.
Because of item #3, I’ve done a bunch of research into the castle doctrine concept. You will be interested in what I’ve learned. The earliest reported legal case I’ve found that was decided according to the castle doctrine was in 1330, AD. So, the castle doctrine concept is AT LEAST seven centuries old. The first mention of the concept I can find in Montana law was in the Revised Montana Statutes of 1879, during Montana’s territorial days – before statehood. So, the castle doctrine was not something MSSA and I created in 2009 with our HB 228, which we called our “Self Defense bill,” although we did tweak it just a bit.