The National Rifle Association has been very successful in promoting passage of “Stand Your Ground” Laws in 21 states, including Florida, where a black teenager, Trayvon Martin, was murdered by a vigilante Volunteer Patrol individual, George Zimmerman, inside a gated community in Sanford, near Orlando, even though he had no weapon, was much smaller and lighter than Zimmerman, but was seen by Zimmerman as a threat.
The law in these 21 states must be repealed, as it has led to licensed murder based on fear and racial profiling, with almost all of the victims since 2005 being minorities, primarily young black men.
The law allows vigilantes, and unstable people, the license to kill, and claim self defense. It does not leave the issue of crime and threats to police and other law enforcement authorities, and dismisses the role that rubber bullets, tear gas, and tasers could play in such situations, avoiding death.
And one has to wonder if George Zimmerman believed his life was in danger, why could he not have avoided direct contact, since the 911 call person told him to leave the situation to police, since he had reported what he regarded as a dangerous young man.
And also, if he was going to shoot, why not shoot the so called “culprit” in the leg or arm, and avoid areas of the body that would kill him instantly?
The power of the National Rifle Association, and other gun fanatics, must be curbed, or else there will be many more tragedies such as this one, and we will become ever more what we are now, the most gun violent society in the world!