EDITORIAL: What Gun Owners must learn from George Zimmerman

On Feb. 26, 2012 in Sanford, Florida there was a shooting that would, for whatever reason, transfix this country and pressure how we as a nation understand our natural right to self-defense. I am of course referring to the shooting of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman.

It’s not my intention here to pour over the details of this case — I’m sure we have all heard those, time and time again. I personally have no desire to hear them again. Rather, I want to look at what we can learn, as a community of gun owners and concealed carry holders, from this case and how we can use these lessons to avoid the legal pitfalls along our path to personal security and happiness.

Let me say right up front that I am certainly not a lawyer or legal expert. Nor do I have every state’s carry and defensive gun use (DGU) laws memorized. Chances are you don’t either, so I think one big take away from the Zimmerman case is the first thing — and I mean the very first thing — you should do before taking your defensive handgun out of the house is to look up and understand any state laws governing where and how to carry as well as any self defense laws that may come to bear in the aftermath of a self-defense shooting. In 2013, this is as important to self-defense as knowing how to shoot accurately.

Here in New York we have Article 35 of the Penal Law, known as the Defense of Justification. This is the law that every handgun owner should know inside and out in New York State and you should know your state’s equivalent laws backwards and forwards if you plan to defend yourself.

I don’t have much of anything in my past that resembles the self-defense shooting of Trayvon Martin, but I have had to talk to the police before after firing my weapon. Here’s something that happened to me half a year ago that almost had me led away in cuffs.

I was on my way home from work on a deserted stretch of back road in December at around midnight when a deer ran in front of me and I clobbered it with my jeep. I stopped and saw a four-point buck lying in the road with a pool of blood coming from its nose and mouth, a big gash on its face and a bottom part of its jaw missing.

He appeared to be dead so I tapped him several times and then grabbed him by the antlers and drug him out of the road. Then he suddenly tried to stand up and I backed off. He was in bad shape — nothing seemed to work for him and he struggled against the ground, bleeding. I was in the middle of nowhere. There were no houses and I had no cell phone service, but I did have my .357 Magnum on me, so I shot the deer in the base of the neck where the skull and spine join. The deer fell over dead on the spot.

A few minutes later a volunteer firefighter arrived who had his radio in his truck and he called for help. That help arrived in the form of two New York State Troopers, who promptly took my gun, put me in cuffs and placed me in the back seat of their car. I had my pistol permit as well as my badge and department identification. They said they had no issue with shooting the deer in so much as I had told them my story, they were just not convinced I had hit it first since my jeep had a few dents here and there and they could find no blood or hair. For nearly two hours they questioned me on the spot, telling me to tell them the truth, something along the lines that I had pulled up and shot the deer. I remained calm, knowing arguing and raising my voice would only get me to the barracks a little faster.

Finally a Conservation Officer arrived. We found parts of my jeep that had been broken off quite a few feet away on the far side of the road in the ditch. In the end the troopers apologized and the deer was tagged and I took it home. I don’t fault them because of what the situation looked like to them, but I also wasn’t jacking a deer.

So what the heck does this all have to do with the Zimmerman case? Well, what I can tell you is that anytime the police are involved in an incident involving you and a gun, you had better be up front and honest with the guys wearing the badges. Telling a calm and consistent story after the incident was instrumental to a just outcome in the Zimmerman case as it was in mine and as it is in most — no matter how “unjust” the investigation may have seemed to anybody at the time. If you withhold anything from them or lie, rest assured that everything you say after will be second-guessed and thought tainted. One half-truth can make your life a total nightmare.

Getting emotional with the cops won’t get you anywhere either, but that doesn’t mean you need to agree with everything they say. Stick to your guns and keep telling them the truth. Zimmerman’s story changed very little from the night of the shooting to the day he was found not guilty. I must have told those troopers a dozen times how the accident happened, and that I did shoot the deer. I even showed them my cell phone to prove I had no service. Why did they keep asking me the same thing over and over again? To see if my story changed each time I told it. So maybe a better piece of advice would be to say if you end up in one of these situations, keep your answers both simple and truthful.

One thing that every gun owner needs to learn post Zimmerman is how quickly and devastatingly political agendas and media portrayals can poison what is ultimately a fairly typical case of self-defense. I think this point really hit home for a lot of gun owners watching the character assassination of George Zimmerman — the realization that the assault doesn’t always end after the gun goes off.

From day one, George Zimmerman was made to look as though he was a racist and media outlets continued to portray him this way despite overwhelming evidence that he is not. When they couldn’t get away with that anymore, he was “creepy.” Even now there are those who cannot fathom that Zimmerman shot Martin for any other reason than because Martin was black or stereotyped for his choice of “thug” clothing.

This is deplorable, but if the Zimmerman trial has shown gun owners anything, it’s that there is very little any single person or group of people can do to change the minds of folks who are blinded by their emotions, especially after the media circus stakes its tents and sells them tickets. These folks only see the world the way they want to see it and the media are more than happy to give them a show that reinforces their twisted worldview. Zimmerman’s life took center ring in this spectacle with the lives of his family and friends acting as sideshow attractions. Suffice it to say, none of their lives will ever be the same again — something that takes on a whole new dimension of sad when you consider nobody’s life is the same after a self-defense shooting.

The thing is, it’s hard to imagine what gun owners can do once the media jackals have started dog-piling on them. To that I say, the best offense is a good defense.

Sometimes I look at the comments on Guns.com’s Facebook page and all I can do is shake my head. Gun owners need to realize the world we live in has gotten much smaller and everything, from that off color joke that you posted on FB to that “hilarious” though racially insensitive tweet you sent to your friends and family is now up for public scrutiny. If you don’t think the past can’t come back to haunt you, just ask Paula Deen.

If the shooting you’re involved in makes the papers it’s a good bet that someone is going to go beyond the narrative of the case and turn their attention towards you and your history. Some would like nothing better than to see law-abiding gun owners put in prison, because it justifies their gun control.

With a little Google-fu, reporters can find just about anything put on the Internet, no matter how private you think your settings are and any controversial statements you made in the past can and will be used against you later on if the chance arises. If you don’t think that stuff will be looked into if you shoot someone in self defense or otherwise, you’re fooling yourself especially if the guy now lying on the ground is another color than you. On the Internet, you are free to say whatever you want but realize people are then free to interpret what you say in terms of how they think.

The George Zimmerman case is now over. Who knows where the ‘stand-your-ground’ battle will go from here, but we as gun owners need to take what we saw during this trial to heart because the results have implications for all of us. We have all just witnessed how a simple act of self defense can be taken and twisted into everything it isn’t. Don’t ever forget this. Whisper it to yourself every time you take your gun out of the house.

THE HISTORY OF NEW YORK STATE [ET ALII] INFRINGEMENT OF THE SECOND AMENDMENT RE PISTOLS ETC.

1775 BOSTONIANS BEAR ARMS INCLUDING PISTOLS
``After the Battle of Lexington, British General Thomas Gage occupied Boston, Massachusetts. After negotiating with the town committee, Gage agreed to let the inhabitants of Boston leave town with their families and effects, if they surrendered all arms. While most of the residents of Boston stayed, those who left under the agreement surrendered 1778 firearms, 634 pistols, 273 bayonets, and only 38 blunderbusses``.[14]
14^ Abiel Holmes (1829). The Annals of America, Volume II. Hillard and Brown. p. 242-— http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blunderbuss

Shades of OK Corral!
1813 Andy Jackson vs. the Benton Brothers Nashville pistol shoot-out with pistols
http://www.adena.com/adena/usa/hs/hs23.htm

1922 Raping of our Second Amendment Rights by NY State govt = 1922 no pistol permits required in NY State for the previous 137 years.
“Fort Niagara, July 30 :
Someone has said that with every reduction in our system of defense there must be a corresponding increase in the training of our citizens so that they will be ready to take ‘their place in the front line with a minimum of delay. If the Regular Army and the National Guard are “appropriated” into such a state of weakness and unpreparedness that they can no longer form the first line of defense, then it will be necessary, In event of war, to rush our citizens from home to battle line with little or no time for training. Because of this, the work that Is bring done, by the various Service Rifle and Pistol
Teams is of increasing importance and peculiar Interest centers on their training this year and on the National Matches which are to be held at Camp, Perry, Ohio, In September, The primary Idea In holding rifle and pistol competitions is not the turning out of winning teams nor the production of medal hunters -but to increase interest thruout the Service and among our citizens in the use of the rifle and pistol.
In so far as the citizen population becomes familiar with the use of these arms the work of training men in time of emergency is lessened, and the safety of the individuals and our country Increased.”-—
Plattsburgh Daily Republican Mon. July 31, 1922

1929 They knew it in 1929
Plattsburgh-Press Republican “Is Liberty Passing?
Probably much of our modern increase in crime can be laid to the fact that in the past quarter-century a vast number of acts, once innocent and legal, have been turned into offenses by legislation. Instead of a liberal, well-ordered legal code that permits every citizen to lead his own life so long as he does not tread on his fellows, we are burdened with a multitude of petty laws, many of them conflicting, and practically all of them bound by red tape. In a recent article, H. L. MENCKEN, editor of the American Mercury, said that “the bill of rights is on its last legs. . .
Step by step, at first cautiously but of late boldly, the learned justices have found reasons to sustain the wholesale destruction, first of individual rights, and then of state rights. Today the once free “American citizen is a mere subject. . .”
“What real crime there is, and no doub’t there is a great deal of it, could be easily enough handled under a simple, rigorous and swift legal and penal code. Once murderers and thugs found that technicalities and evasions were of no avail, and served only to hurry them to the hoosegow, crime would start down hill. Once the sob sisters and professional reformers were put in their place, real offenses against society would diminish. But to attempt to prevent crime at the expense of the law-abiding is a dangerous practice. The anti-pistol laws, for example, play directly into the hands of the criminal who is assured of an unprotected citizenry. And still more important, they are a menace to freedom.”

1931 AMERICAN LEGION STANDS UP FOR THE SECOND AMENDMENT BUT NY MAFIA GOVT PUSHES THEM DOWN
“Essex County [American]Legion Urges Repeal Of Pistol Law, Adoption Of Farm And Home Act, At Recent Meeting
At a largely attended meeting of the Essex County Branch of the American Legion held at Willsboro recently the following resolutions were unanimously adopted;
“WHEREAS, laws which seriously restrict the rights of honest individuals in the purchase, possession and use of firearms and particularly pistol and revolvers we opposed to the public interest and
“WHEREAS, it has proved impossible to disarm criminals by such laws, and
“WHEREAS, honest citizens should be permitted freely to possess and use pistols for self-defense, and
WHEREAS, a reasonable and patriotic program of national preparedness requires general familiarity with the use of firearms, and
“WHEREAS, the use of pistols in target shooting and In the woods, and fields affords pleasurable recreation to great numbers of lawabiding sportsmen,
RESOLVED, that the Essex County Branch of the American Legion favor the repeal of the harmful Sullivan Law and the enactment in its places of a reasonable statue on the lines of the “Uniform Law” which, without relaxing the penalties for the criminal use of pistols, will relieve law-abiding citizens of the heavy burdens and offensive restrictions and requirements which the Sullivan Law now imposes upon them, and be it further
RESOLVED, that a copy of the said resolution be forwarded to the State Department of the American Legion and recommend that they take such steps to carry out the provisions as set forth in the resolution, and copies also forwarded to Senator H. E. H% Brereton, and Assemblyman Fred L. Porter “
Dec 14 1931
Plattsburgh Daily Republican p 3

1931 illegal unconstitutional “PISTOL LICENSES’ APPLICATIONS HERE Surrogate, Charles H. Harrington has advised that the forms for applications for pistol licenses under the new law are now obtainable at his office. The applications are more detailed than formerly. The applicant must submit three photographs of himself taken within thirty days prior to the application. The fingerprints of the applicant must also be placed on the application. Finger prints are taken at the police department. If the applicant merely desires a pistol license to keep a pistol in his house he does not have to submit & photograph to us with his finger prints.”
-—Plattsburgh Daily Republican Nov 5 1931

1936 DOUBLE STANDARD ABOVE THE LAW GOVT HYPOCRITES
“MRS. ROOSEVELT CARRIES PISTOL
NEW YORK, March 7
(IP)Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt carries a long barreled pistol on her frequent motor trips about the country, friends said tonight, as a concession to the secret service and not because she fears for her own safety. “If you want to get her down on you “for good,” one of them confided, “just hint that she is afraid to travel alone.”
The President’s wife disclosed in New Orleans yesterday that she carries a pistol in her automobile and “can use it.” She added that she had the “same training with a pistol that the New York National Guard has.”-—
Mon. March 9, 1937 “Plattsburgh Daily Press”

1945 WAR TROPHY PISTOLS ARE LEGAL IN 1945
“Pfc. Roy S. Marsha , son of Mr. & Mrs. George Marsh, Crown Point, has sent a German pack, Italian bayonet, two Italian knives, with fascist insignia on the case, an Italian pistol, ...” Essex County Republican. 1945

2010 “The History Channel” broadcast “WWII HD”and DVD shows WW2 American soldiers bringing
home German pistols, rifles, bayonets, etc. as war trophies

1946 UNCONSTITUTIONAL NY STATE LAW EQUATES 2ND AMENDMENT WITH “HUNTING” ONLY
“Explains Law Prohibiting Use Of Army Rifles SARANAC LAKE
An explanation of the new state law prohibiting tHE use of automatic or auto-loading rifles in New York State, was issued recently BY Division Chief Game Protector Ray L,. Burmaster of Saranac Lake to acquaint sportsmen with
the law’s provisions. After July 1, 1946, it will be illegal for any person to use in hunting or possess in the fields or forests or on the waters of the state for any purpose, any automatic or autoloading firearm which contains (more than six shells at one time! in its magazine and chamber combined, or which has not been altered so as
to reduce the capacity of such firearm. The law does not apply to any law enforcement officer in the performance of his duties, or to the use of any auto-loading firearms using
.22 calibre rim-fire ammunition or to any auto-loading pistol having a barrel less than eight inches in length. The purpose of the law, it is evident, is to make illegal the use of wartime military weapons, a large number of which, especially the submachinegun type, are known to be in the possession of ex-servicemen.”-—
Thurs May 2 1946 Ticonderoga Sentinel

1946 ILLEGAL EX POST FACTO UNCONSTITUTIONAL NY STATE LAW BANNING LEGAL WAR TROPHIES
“Trophies to Be Made Legal in Program Under National Firearms Act
Machineguns and machine pistols, war trophies of foreign make, must be registered and deactivated to bring their possessions within the law.
For this purpose Treasury Department operatives will establish offices at police headquarters this morning and will maintain a 12-hour schedule for the next three days, from 9:00 a. m to 9:00 p. m.
Veterans possessing any firearm of foreign make can qualify themselves to keep their souvenirs lawfully by bringing them to police headquarters on any of the days today through Thursday.
After registrations, deactivation of the weapons makes them unserviceable but in no way mars the appearance of the guns as souvenirs. All guns are duly returned to their owners. Registration of guns is a nationwide program. Investigations made in recent months under the National Firearms Act have a bearing on the risk and problem of exceptionally dangerous war trophy weapons, brought or shipped to this country by veterans, falling into unauthorized hands by theft or unrecorded transfer and being put to unlawful uses never intended or contemplated by the veteran.
Already there have been committed a large number of major crimes in various sections of the country, where foreign automatic weapons, introduced as war trophies or souvenirs were used. The drive of the Treasury Department is aimed at preventing these weapons and firearms from falling into the hands of gangsters, racketeers, bank robbers and other types of criminals.”[BULLCRAP BALONEY!]
“The Alcohol Tax Unit, Bureau of Internal Revenue, is charged with the enforcement of the National Firearms Act, which provides a penalty not to exceed $2,000 or imprisonment not to exceed five years, or both, in the event a person is convicted of violating any provisions of
the Act. Veterans, register your foreign weapons today!” Nov 19 1946 plattsburgh press republican

Years ago, Jeff Cooper delineated the “Color Code” and the “Principles of Personal Defense” in an effort to provide us with a logical model for one’s thinking on the subject of mental preparedness. I’d like now to go to the next step and apply the same logic to the issue of personal appearance and demeanor, as we all agree that, in the domestic defensive environment, avoiding a fight is preferable to winning one.

Layer One: Nonattendance. The best way to handle any potentially injurious encounter is:
Don’t be there. Arrange to be somewhere else. Don’t go to stupid places. Don’t associate with stupid people. Don’t do stupid things. This is the advice I give to all students of defensive firearms. Winning a gunfight, or any other potentially injurious encounter, is financially and emotionally burdensome. The aftermath will become your full-time job for weeks or months afterward, and you will quickly grow weary of writing checks to lawyer(s). It is, of course, better than being dead or suffering a permanently disfiguring or disabling injury, but the “penalty” for successfully fighting for your life is still formidable.

Crowds of any kind, particularly those with an agenda, such as political rallies, demonstrations, picket lines, etc are good examples of “stupid places.” Any crowd with a high collective energy level harbors potential catastrophe. To a lesser degree, bank buildings, hospital emergency rooms, airports, government buildings, and bars (particularly crowded ones) fall into the same category. All should be avoided. When they can’t be avoided, we should make it a practice to spend only the minimum time necessary there and then quickly get out.

“A superior gunman is best defined as one who uses his superior judgment in order to keep himself out of situations that would require the use of his superior skills.”

Layer Two: Functional invisibility. We all need to practice to art of “being invisible.” It is in our best interest to go our way unnoticed, both by potential predators and by the criminal justice system alike.

Whenever I travel, particularly to foreign countries, I endeavor to be the one that no one notices; no one recalls; no one remembers. I silently slip through the radar, leaving no trace, a nameless, faceless tourist. When in any public place, I try to be clean and well groomed, but I never wear bright colors, any kind of jewelry, or anything shiny. I smile a lot, but talk softly and as little as possible. As we say in the law enforcement business, “Courteous to everyone. Friendly to no one.”

Loud talking, bright colors, Rolex watches, etc will consistently accumulate unwanted attention. On the other end of the spectrum, tattoos, poor grooming, loud and offensive language, a slovenly appearance, etc will also garner unwelcome notice.

Layer Three: Deselection. Any successful predator has the ability to quickly screen potential victims, focusing in on the ones who look as if they will make good victims and rejecting those who either (1) look too strong for expedient victimization or (2) don’t conveniently fall into any particular category.

When invisibility fails, we need endeavor to be consistently deselected for victimization. We do this by making it a habit to appear alert, uninviting, self-confident, and strong. At the same time, we never loiter or appear indecisive. We are always in motion.

“Weakness perceived is weakness exploited!”

Layer Four: Disengagement: Our best interests are not served by any kind of engagement with potential predators. Successful disengagement involves posturing, bearing, verbalizations, and movement. It is in our best interest to disengage at the lowest reasonable force level, but we must simultaneously be prepared to instantly respond to unlawful force with superior force.

Potential predators, as they attempt verbal engagement, should be politely dismissed. Bearing and eye contact should always project strength and confidence. We should continuously be moving off the “line of force.” We should be observant in every direction, giving potential predator duos and trios the distinct impression that they will not be able to sneak up on us.

When predators are confused, they are unable to focus sufficiently to carry off their victimization. Therefore, never let a potential predator seize the agenda. Don’t answer his questions, and don’t stay in any one place very long.

Disengagement, separation, and exit are our immediate goals when we have been selected or are being seriously evaluated by predators. However, if there is to be a fight, the best one is a short one. If a predator menaces me with a gun or a knife, I know that, before it is all over, there is a good chance that I will be shot or cut. However, within that prison of circumstance, I also know that the faster I can end the fight, the less hurt I’m going to get! If there must be a fight, I must explode into action, moving smoothly and quickly, in an effort to confuse and overwhelm my opponent before he has a chance to process all the information I’m throwing at him.

Ultimately, we must “have a plan.” Potentially dangerous encounters must be thought about in advance. Decisions must be made. Skills must be practiced. Confusion, hesitation, and vacillation will always attract the attention of predators and simultaneously stimulate predator behavior.

- John Farnam

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