A Little Vigorous Discussion

A man from Atlanta -- the report says "Georgia man," but let's be clear, he's an Atlanta man -- came up here to enjoy a little time on the beautiful Tuckasegee river. He was, however, incensed to discover that a paddle shop owner was a Trump supporter.

A Georgia man accused of tearing down a pro-Trump banner at a rafting business before exchanging gunfire with the business owner has been extradited to Swain County.

Benjamin Michael Campbell, of Atlanta, is charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflict serious injury, discharging a firearm within an enclosure to incite fear, and willful and wanton injury to personal property.... Mark Thomas, the owner of the Paddle Inn Rafting Company, told News 13 he was watching his CCTV cameras when he saw the driver of a Jeep slam on the brakes, exit the vehicle, walk across the road, and tear down a Donald Trump banner. Thomas said he took his rifle to his porch and fired two shots into the air. In response, he said, the man in the Jeep fired back several rounds from the road.

It might be an interesting trial, if the guy doesn't plea to a lesser version of the charges (which is how almost all 'trials' end these days). He was fired upon first, after all. A good lawyer might argue that he was in legitimate fear of his life from deadly force as he didn't realize that the rifle was pointed 'in the air.' 

An appropriate aside: 'shooting in the air' or 'warning shots' are generally unwise practices that all of my dear readers should avoid. Either lethal force is rational and appropriate, in which case it should be used without warning or apology, or it is not. If it is not, gunfire should be avoided; even pointing a gun at someone when lethal force is not authorized can result in 'brandishing' charges or, as in this case, return fire.

When I first saw this headline I assumed the guy was at least a customer of the paddle shop who took exception to the owner's politics, perhaps after a discussion turning into an argument. But no, he was just some guy traveling down the highway when he saw a Trump flag and decided he should tear into the place and rip it down. 

To get here from Atlanta he would have had to have passed at least two and probably three of the local flagpole-mounted Confederate flags that are prominently displayed on the highways. That might have been an early indication of the 'diversity of opinion' in the area he was visiting; I'm not sure why the Trump flag was the bridge-too-far for him.