A quick note for those who think Plaxico Burress is Charles Darnay in "Tale of Two Cities," locked up for who he is and not what he's done.

It's really, really simple. Most dopes who carry an unregistered weapon and fire it face a 3 1/2 to 15-year prison term in jail. Why? Because most folks who get themselves in that spot are not firing it into their own leg.

New York State put in gun control laws that try to eliminate improper use and ownership of firearms. Picture yourself hearing about this happening in your neighborhood: a random guy has an illegal gun and uses it to shoot in any direction. Ninety-nine-point-nine-nine of these scenarios involve an incident in which the guy or girl should go to prison. A lot of the remaining incidents involve a backyard with a Confederate flag and a pig race.

Anyone who derides the NHL for punishing on the outcome of an incident as opposed to the incident itself needs to take a step back and view Burress' ordeal through those glasses. If Steve Moore had not been paralyzed, would Todd Bertuzzi's crime have been any less offensive? Same choice, and feel free to align yourself with either side.

So, don't think the guy is going to jail because he's a football player and an example needs to be made. He has unfortunately fallen prey to the wording of a law. I'm not a lawyer, but I'm also not an imbecile... at least in this case.

Email: nick@wgr550.com