By Alan Bean

I have been following the case of B.J. Smith for well over a year now.  His plight was brought to my attention by a member of Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth where Mr. Smith was once a member.  Like George Zimmerman, Smith is accused of using his gun to kill a man; only in this case, the shooting victim was carrying a knife and threatening bodily harm.

B.J. Smith is on trial because the two primary shaping influences in his life, the US Navy and the Christian faith, collided in the moments after Robert Fowler died.  The military taught Smith how to use deadly force.  Don’t draw your weapon unless you mean to use it, B.J. was told, but if you start firing, don’t stop until the enemy is no longer a threat.

That advice makes sense on the battle field, but in civilian life it can get a military vet into trouble. (more…)