(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Insurrectionist Richard Barnett Is Now Claiming That A 950,000 Volt Stun Gun Is Not Dangerous. [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-02-08 Deeper than the Mariana Trench is the arrogance and stupidity of convicted insurrectionist Richard “Bigo” Barnett. Of course Barnett is going to appeal his conviction, but the argument put forward by Barnett and his lawyers is that the Zap Hike N Strike “Walking Stick” he had on his person during the insurrection is “non-dangerous.” You can’t make this shit up. The Jan. 6th rioter photographed kicking his foot up on a desk in then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office wants to overturn his convictions on charges that could put him away for 46 years. Among the many arguments in his motion for an acquittal, Richard “Bigo” Barnett claims that the 950,000-volt stun gun seen at his hip was “non-dangerous.” The packaging for that weapon, a Zap Hike N’ Strike, was found inside Barnett’s home in Gravette, Arkansas, authorities said. Prosecutors performed a demonstration of the weapon for the jury at his recent trial. Authorities say they found the packaging for Barnett’s stun gun while searching his Arkansas home. (Photo via DOJ) Barnett’s lawyers — Jonathan Gross, Joseph McBride, Bradford Geyer, and Carolyn Stewart — claim that those demonstrations for the jury were improper. “The Zap Hike N Strike is a walking stick, flashlight, and defensive stun device,” they wrote in a 45-page motion for an acquittal on Sunday. “It was not designed for and is not sold for offensive use. It is not a weapon. It is largely used by hikers, and for defense against animals. The sound provides a powerful deterrent. The packaging contains no age requirement for use.” The defense motion claims that prosecutors “deliberately demonstrated a Zap Hike ‘N Strike for five seconds to misrepresent the non-dangerous item and to unfairly scare the jury with the sound.” Never mind that Barnett demonstrated his stun gun in the hotel bar he was staying at before Jan 6th. Or that owners closed down the bar for that night after that stupid stunt. Once again in white privilege mode and Southern redneck dominance, Barnett is saying the stun gun should NEVER have been demonstrated for the jury. This goes along with his other demands that no mention of people being killed during the insurrection or mention of the words like “riot” during his trial. And he is hanging his hat on the word “dangerous.” You see that stun gun is supposedly not lethal, so it is not dangerous. Therefore, one of the charges Barnett was convicted on — dangerous weapon on Capitol Hill grounds — should be dismissed. I’m not going to get into the weeds of physics here, which is what Barnett and his lawyers want. Just know that it’s amperage or current that kills and not so much voltage. Barnett is going to claim that his stun gun could not kill because the amperage wasn’t high enough, so it was not a dangerous weapon. However, a stun gun is designed to administer PAIN. The electricity from the stun gun causes muscles to contract, and the effect from the shock includes mental confusion, numbness, weakness, and your skin to feel like it is being pricked with loads of needles. And the point of this particular stun gun is to defend a hiker against wild animals like bears. Since when are there bears on Capitol Hill? Also, if Barnett’s lawyers really want to get into whether his stun gun being unable to kill, there have been deaths attributed to being being shocked by a stun gun. Usually, cardiac arrest is the cause of death. News for Mr. Barnett: the heart is a muscle and can be affected by electricity. And finally, if that stun gun was so harmless, why did Barnett get rid of it? The FBI found the packaging for the stun gun, but no sign of it at Barnett’s home. It’s also visible in those photos he posed for while in Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office. Barnett intended on inflicting pain on Speaker Pelosi with that stun gun. Just because he ditched it somewhere doesn’t take away from the fact that he brought a device to inflict pain on a human being into the Capitol Building. Once again, we have to wait until May for the judge to get around to sentencing Barnett to prison. Frankly, he cannot get enough years to satisfy me. I say that because I’m afraid that the judge will give Barnett a pitiful sentence. I hope that I am wrong because Barnett is an iconic figure for the Jan 6th insurrection, and if anyone deserves some significant time in prison, it’s Richard Barnett. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/8/2151686/-Insurrectionist-Richard-Barnett-Is-Now-Claiming-That-A-950-000-Volt-Stun-Gun-Is-Not-Dangerous Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/