Since we’ve been weighing in on the various and sundry sentences for wayward NFL stars, I just figured I’d go on record here saying that Plaxico Burress a) is an idiot and b) has gotten hosed.
I don’t really have a problem with people carrying guns, but it is awfully reckless to carry one IN YOUR PANTS, WITH THE SAFETY OFF. That is worthy of some punishment, IMHO. But two years in prison seems utterly unreasonable to me. New York’s gun laws strike me as rather draconian, and in fact, quite possibly afoul of the Constitution, in light of the SCOTUS’ ruling in Heller. I don’t know the history of New York’s gun laws, but I wonder it is connected to the Rockefeller drug laws (which seem equally draconian).
Looking at the offenses and penalties of Vick, Stallworth and Burress, I simply can’t see any relationship between the severity of the offense (as measured by either actual damage or potential risk posed to others) and the severity of their respective sentences. I would like to think that the criminal justice system is guided by some reasonably consistent set of principles, but I just can’t divine any from the treatment of Burress either relative to his offense, or relative to the crimes and sentences of his colleagues.
Free Plaxico!