I am getting really tired of this claim.
SYG has NOTHING to do with the Zimmerman/Martin case.
If Zimmerman’s story is what happened, it was self-defense by the law as it stood before SYG.
If the story told by Martin’s supporters is true, SYG doesn’t protect Zimmerman.
Either way, SYG is just not relevant to this case.
I agree 100%.
This has ZERO to do with SYG. It sure isn’t like Zimmerman was sitting in a coffee shop somewhere and Martin came up and cold-cocked him.
Zimmerman should have done what dispatch told him to do, at the very least, he NEVER should have left his truck armed.
Look - I could put a pistol under my coat, go into a biker bar, walk up to the biggest guy there and call him a queer.
Then, as he’s beating the livin crap out of me, I could put one through him.
That’s not SYG - something I DID helped precipitate the incident.
Lots of FReepers will beat me up on this, but IMHO Zimmerman isn’t exactly the brightest bulb in the pack, he went out loaded for bear, and got himself into EXACTLY the kind of situation that he shouldn’t have.
And it gives responsible gun owners a BAD NAME, and I am extremely pissed about that.
Why would that be, SJ? What facts do you know that would keep Florida Statutes 776.041(2)(a) from applying if you're suggesting that Zimmerman committed the original assault? Florida Statutes 777.041 was added to Florida law as part of the Stand Your Ground Act of 2005.