Every single one of us has said things that, in retrospect, we wish we hadn't. It is human nature, I suppose, to pop off and say things that come back to bite us in an anterior location. Certainly, all married individuals can attest to this. In my case, you will just have to use your imagination because I have no intention of repeating some of the stupid stuff I have come up with over the years.
Generally, such eruptions are harmless and relatively painless. However, those comments can have a horrible result if we are on trial for having used deadly force in a defensive encounter. Now, I am not an attorney, but I assure that, under certain circumstances, what we have said in the past can be used as evidence in a courtroom. And this may also be the case with things we have posted on public forums, websites and social media.
We have all seen posts by individuals who have mixed alcohol with their computer and posted stuff like, "If an (insert ethnic slur here) ever shows up at my house, he'd better be paid up and prayed up!" And then there are the guys who choose to comment about all the bad things that they wish would happen to certain public officials. I even heard a police officer once make the comment that "By the time a judge gets to the scene, you can bet there will be a gun by his body"...suggesting that a throw-down might be used.
At best, an attorney may have to spend valuable time convincing a jury that such remarks were only jokes or unintentional comments made under the influence of "Who-Hit-John." At the worst, it may be just enough to convince a jury that the defendant really had ulterior motives and had acted upon them.
When we choose to carry a gun for our personal defense, society expects us to act in an honorable fashion. What we think is certainly our business, but what we say and write may well be shared with others.
Trust me, the witness stand in a criminal trial is not the place to have to eat your words.
