On November 29 of last year, former New York Giants star wide receiver Plaxico Burress entered a nightclub on Lexington Ave in Manhattan with a gun.
He then proceeded to accidentally shoot himself in the leg with the .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol he had tucked in the waistband of his blue jeans.
Burress did not shoot anyone else, nor did he brandish the gun at the nightclub. But because he was a celebrity -- and because of New York's strict gun sentencing laws -- on Tuesday, he was sentenced to two years in prison. This is a travesty.
Because he is 32 years old, it is entirely possible his career is over. But that's the least of his worries. Prison life is never easy, but try doing it as a celebrity. The best case scenario is that he is, for his own protection, isolated from the inmate population. But being essentially alone for two years is a pretty harsh sentence, as well.
To be clear, I am not arguing that Burress was a boy scout -- or that what he did wasn't incredibly stupid. It was. But does anyone really think his "crime" warrants being sent to Rikers Island?
In fact, this entire story raises a lot of questions for me, including...
... Isn't shooting yourself in the leg punishment enough?
... Does Burress' crime really warrant more jail time than Donte Stallworth and Michael Vick got for their, in my opinion, more serious crimes? Stallworth and Vick did harm to other people (or animals). Burress only harmed himself.
... Does anyone think that if he were just some 'regular Joe' that his sentence would have been this severe? (Of course not, they were making an example of him because he is a celebrity).
... Does anyone think there's any chance Burress is a risk to ever do this again?
... Does anyone think that Burress will be a better person after serving two years in jail?
... Why aren't more prominent conservatives and 2nd Amendment groups speaking out on this?