Ja Rule and Lil Wayne gettin dissed in NYC, no respect like Busta Rhymes. Translation: The former two are unfortunate victims of timing, having been caught up in New York's draconian 3.5 year mandatory sentencing, while "Busta" received relatively lenient punishment for his gun possession after convincing the judge he carried for protection after a robbery.
Well now.... ... do human beings have an inherent and God-given right of self-defense? Does that also mean they have a right to possess tools which which to mount an effective defense, i.e. a firearm? If that is so, then how morally repugnant is the crime if they carry a gun illegally (perhaps because they don't have a New York State pistol permit, or maybe because they are convicted felons...) but only for the purpose of self-defense against robbers, kidnappers, and hit-men from rival gangsters? Is it not factually true that rap artists are, categorically, targeted for robbery and murder? Is it not also true that they tend to attract trouble and violence wherever they go, even if they don't always start the violence themselves? Or should we assume that if a person carries a gun illegally, he must be intending to use it illegally to facilitate some more serious crime?
That very argument is why Busta Rhymes received a slap on the wrist. The 3.5 year sentence is now a mandatory minimum, however, so this ought to be interesting.