As the events of the recent shooting of
Trayvon Martin unfold, the speculations about profiling, racial
motivation and self-defense continue to build and evolve. As I look
at the specifics of the investigations that are occurring, I have to
wonder if most people are overlooking a basic fact that makes a big
difference in this scenario; whether George Zimmerman was in danger,
or if he put himself in danger.
After listening to the 911 call that
Zimmerman made, it is apparent that he was in no immediate danger at
all. During the course of the phone call, against the wishes of the
911 operator, Zimmerman began to pursue Martin. Now I don't know
where most of you may be from, but where I come from, that is chasing
danger. Let's be realistic here. If Martin flees the scene, for
whatever reason, and Zimmerman pursues him, that means Zimmerman has
taken the law into his own hands and has now stepped outside of the
Stand Your Ground laws. If Martin did turn on Zimmerman at some point
in the chase, most likely to defend himself from a pursuer and
possible attacker, then Zimmerman put himself into danger. Though I
do find it hard to believe that Zimmerman was in much danger since he
was carrying a gun.
The true injustice here is, this
solidifies the worries of lawmakers about citizens taking liberties
with gun ownership. Zimmerman had every right to own that gun. He had
a right to carry it. But he does not have the right to chase another
person down, create an altercation and then shoot in "self-defense".
This is not what the Stand Your Ground legislation was about.
No comments:
Post a Comment