Opinion of the Editor of 'Obama in the White House blog'
How many deaths have to occur before a law such as 'Stand-your-ground' is repealed? Somewhere near the amount of 30,000 mothers lost their children this year to senseless gun violence, so in essence there are at least 30,000 mothers not celebrating mothers day this year. This is an alarming fact. Recently a boy by the name of Trayvon Martin lost his life to a man who now is using this law in his own defense. Gun owners have rights, but what about the innocent victims that guns kill each year. Here it is, a day that's supposed to be special for mothers, but one such mother has to live her special day without her son Trayvon after he was unnecessarily attacked and killed by George Zimmerman. Did Trayvon Martin have a gun on him when he was killed? The answer is no. George Zimmerman did, and he was doing 'crime watch' duties at the time that he decided to shoot Trayvon because he who had the gun, felt threatened?! Now, a mother lives her first 'Mother's day' without her son.
It's been 20 years now since 'Stand-your-ground' law has gone in force and many states have adopted it. But that doesn't make it right. Many states adopt laws that are not good for them. Case in point, just as recently as last week, North Carolina adopted a law that says same-sex marriage is illegal. For me, I don't condone same sex marriage, but who am I to dictate on who should be allowed to marry. The United States is supposed to be - "The Land of The Free", but you have to step back one moment and see what freedoms you actually have in this country. I admire people like President Obama who make bold and serious decisions every day, as was the case when President Obama made the announcement that he supported same-sex marriage, even though I personally would not support it. So if I had the opportunity to vote for it or against it, I would not vote, because when it comes to marriage voting on it would not affect me personally, one way or the other. The President did not make it a national law, as states still have the power to create them and repeal them as is the case with the law that North Carolina just passed. All President Obama did was state his true beliefs and has a right to do so. Killers like George Zimmerman have rights to kill with guns and kill innocent people as was the case in the Trayvon Martin shooting.
Case in point, in the State of Texas, you can go out and buy a gun, go through a check, but not even have to submit your name when you register a gun. As long as you don't have a felony on your record, you can buy a gun. But how is that felony check going to catch a person with a disturbed mind and alert authorities that this applicant should not be able to buy a gun because of his present state of mind!.
The people who purchase guns seem never to realize that the gun is only designed for one thing when it is pointed at a human life, and that's to kill. Did George Zimmerman truly want to kill the child? You have to say that he did, if he realized the potential of shooting the gun at a human being. Only experienced law abiding officers that are trained on how to use guns in public need to carry them in public. They are the true 'crime-watchers', and get paid to do so. Our elected officials provide these officers to us to protect us, not some private individual who decides to be a 'crime-watch' volunteer. What a senseless shooting.
Ironically, the means of what George Zimmerman used, firing of a deadly weapon, will be the one thing he should be afraid of if he is found innocent of the death of Trayvon Martin. To me, to be able to fire on a juvenile with a gun, is that of a sick, egotistical person.
In the case of George Zimmerman, his defense is that he shot Treyvon in self-defense. Now stop and think about this. If George Zimmerman didn't have that gun, and George Zimmerman was not trying to be the local law authority, would Treyvon Martin be dead right now. the answer is obvious, and even if what George Zimmerman said was true, the he shot in "self-defense", he wouldn't have had to if he wasn't there acting as a local sheriff.
It was definitely a senseless killing. George Zimmerman should be held accountable, but because of laws like 'Stand-your-ground', George Zimmerman most likely will beat the charge and continue to live as a free man. Do you think that he will want to carry another gun at this point in his life after going through what he just went through. I know if I were him, I'd never want to see another gun. Does he feel any guilt for what he as done? When you look at him, he outwardly shows his sorrow for killing the boy, and now if set free, he will have to live all the rest of his life with the blood of Trayvon Martin on his hands and constantly watch over his shoulders knowing that there may be some 'crazy in the mind' hero out there that wants to be known as killing Trayvon Martin's killer.
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