Posted on 04/27/2012 10:12:27 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Since the Feb. 26 shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, racial backlash concerning the incident has consumed the media. Many suggest that Martin’s death stems from an inherent suspicion in this country of young black males. Others disagree with this assessment, citing that Zimmerman is Hispanic and therefore a minority himself.
While I do not deny the significant role race played in Martin’s death, a key element of the case has seemingly gone unnoticed – 28-year-old George Zimmerman, Martin’s shooter, was unnecessarily armed with a 9 mm pistol.
Regardless of Martin’s race and Zimmerman’s intentions, why was a 9 mm handgun in play? Is this a necessary weapon to carry when on neighborhood watch? Zimmerman apparently thought so, but I beg to differ.
The instant a gun is introduced in any sort of altercation – violent or otherwise – the parties involved are invited to act with increased aggression, citing self-defense as their reasoning. Zimmerman’s defense, based on the Stand Your Ground law in Florida, follows this pattern.
According to the law, an individual without a weapon may react violently even if a gun isn’t directly pointed at them. A mere glimpse at a hidden gun can leave one party feeling defenseless and as though the threat on their life has been raised.
Further, personally owned guns are notoriously turned against the very individual who owns them. According to a study done by Director of RAND Health Arthur Kellermann, a member of a household where a gun is present is almost three times as likely to be a victim of homicide compared to gun-free households. The question of malicious intent thus becomes futile because both parties are apparently operating under the pretenses of self-defense. In short, the presence of such a weapon elevates a dispute past the point of no return.
It is for these reasons that a gun has no place in a neighborhood watch program. Intent aside, my feeling of safety would greatly decline if I knew that an armed neighbor was patrolling the streets of my neighborhood.
Zimmerman’s use of a gun as a means of protection becomes all the more trivial with the knowledge that he was in close vicinity to his vehicle. Was this vehicle a too-passive form of defense in the event of conflict? Zimmerman apparently thought so, but again I disagree.
It’s also safe to say that the added precaution of a fellow volunteer would have been more effective than the defense provided by a weapon. Zimmerman clearly felt that his volunteer position put him at enough risk to warrant carrying a gun. So how could he possibly be in a secure-enough position to be on duty alone?
The contradicting accounts of what actually happened on the night that Trayvon Martin was shot have left this case muddled and unclear. Police reports and witnesses from the Florida neighborhood, Martin’s girlfriend and Zimmerman’s father all cling to varying portrayals of the same story. What remains as the trigger of these events, however, is the faulty decision George Zimmerman made to carry a gun that February night.
Martin’s shooter, was unnecessarily armed with a 9 mm pistol.
Well, no.
Obama is at least 50% black.
Zimmerman probably is no more than 1/8 black by ancestry.
I agree. Why was a 9mm there? I carry .357 mag at least. Better stopping power.
>>Zimmerman apparently thought so, but I beg to differ.<<
The free exercise of a right specifically granted by the Bill Of Rights is not somthing to which you are allowed to “differ.”
You need to keep track. Mr. Obama is about 45% Arab, 5-7% black and 50% white. Mr. Zimmerman has a black great-grandfather. Guess you didn’t see too many of the birth certificate threads?
Further, personally owned guns are notoriously turned against the very individual who owns them.Ah ah! Mystery solved!
Zimmerman was trying to shoot HIMSELF and Martin stepped in to take the bullet for him!
Wow! What would we do without our liberal anti-gun friends?
What would we do without their big giant brains to solve these thorny issues?
I beg to differ is at a maximum 50% black more than likely less that that depending on how many Arabs there are on his father’s family tree.
I agree. Why was a 9mm there? I carry .357 mag at least. Better stopping power.LOL!
I’ll tell you what, Jessica.
Why don’t you let me punch you in the face hard enough to break your nose. Then let me slam your empty head into the sidewalk repeatedly with obvious intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Then you and I can discuss whether or not a gun would be a handy tool to have in that situation.
It’s writings like this that have convinced me that the voting age should be raised to 25 at least.
I think that was one of the stupidest things I've seen posted, and I've seen some pretty stupid things posted.
I prefer the word 'protected' instead of 'granted'. God granted our rights. The BOR is supposed to protect them from government encroachment. Not that it has worked that way....
/johnny
If Zimmerman didn’t have a gun he would be the one dead now and I doubt that Martin would be the one arrested.
When the idiot writer stated this I quit reading:
urther, personally owned guns are notoriously turned against the very individual who owns them. According to a study done by Director of RAND Health Arthur Kellermann, a member of a household where a gun is present is almost three times as likely to be a victim of homicide compared to gun-free households.
It is from a study done by Kellerman and after his work was researched it was found that he based his findings on false research. Even he had to agree his findings were false after admitting his research was based on incorrect data.
Anyone using Kellerman as their basis is doing so out of ignorance to the fact that the findings were proven false. Therefor the writer is an uninformed idiot using lies to prove their point.
Enough said.
Wonder how these statistics, if true, are skewed by the presence of guns in drug dens and the homes of thugs? Lots of killin' going on there that has nothing to do with a law abiding citizen keeping a gun in the home for protection.
To quote Archie Bunker “would it make you feel any better if they wuz pushed outta windahs”?
Heinlein had a lot to say about “warm body” democracies, none of it positive. He was exactly right.
“Zimmerman probably is no more than 1/8 black by ancestry.”
It is reported that Zimmerman’s mother is of Peruvian ancestry, which, by the way, is neither Spanish not “Hispanic,” the definition of which I do not know.
I’ve not read anything about the racial components of “Zimmerman,” and all of the foregoing is irrelevant because young Miller was not killed because of his race.
>>I prefer the word ‘protected’ instead of ‘granted’. God granted our rights. The BOR is supposed to protect them from government encroachment. Not that it has worked that way....<<
An excellent point. I am giving a speech on our dwindling liberties and I will note your distinction.
Presence of firearm in Martin case woefully unaddressedYeah, that's right, Jessica.
No anti-gun lefties have even thought about criticizing gun ownership in this case.
They all were waiting for your Big Giant Brain to think up this idea!
They owe you a big thanks!
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