Civil Liberties
Related: About this forumThere could be justice for Trayvon Martin after all...
By now almost everyone is familiar with the slain 17 year old Florida resident Trayvon Martin. He was murdered by a vigilante posing as a self styled 'neighborhood watch leader' (armed with a gun) on february 26th. The so called 'watch leader' was not part of any registered neighborhood watch group, possessed a firearm, and stalked Martin after being told by authorities to desist. Martin attempted to break contact with the murderer, George Zimmerman, but was pursued, accosted and then shot.
Due to a new law in Florida called 'Stand Your Ground', an individual may use, under any circumstances save during the commission of a crime, to use deadly force against an attacker with only the justifier that they 'feel threatened'. Americans are tired of crime but this law is tantamount to a 'license to kill'. Zimmerman maintains that the boy made him feel threatened despite the fact that Martin was unarmed and attempted to extricate himself from the situation in a non violent manner and was then stalked.
New leads are coming to the light of day that is allowing the case to be examined in finer detail. So far no arrests have been made.
Read the whole story here:
http://gma.yahoo.com/trayvon-martin-killing-friend-phone-teen-death-recounts-063243901--abc-news.html
Let us hope that the new circumstances coming to light in this matter will allow zimmerman to be arrested and prosecuted as what he is-a vigilante and cold blooded killer who took the life of a promising young man guilty of nothing other than being 'black in a white neighborhood'.
There are a number of petitions in circulation demanding justice for Mr. Martin and his family. Protests are ongoing. I urge you to join in the cause of Mr. Martin and his family so that they see justice and also so that this does not send a signal to other would be murderers that they have the law behind them as a shield. I call on fellow Christians to pray and ask God that His will be done in this case and that His Spirit see it through to justice.
If you have an interest in seeing this 'license to kill law' put down then I urge you to sign my petition at ipetitions.com and make others yourself. I already have ten signatures. I wish as many as possible. If you live in Florida I especially urge you to sign this petition especially if you are outraged by what happened to Mr. Martin.
The Petition can be found here:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/fl_syg_law/
Thanks for signing!
Speck Tater
(10,618 posts)if you give ENOUGH people the right to carry guns around on their person, eventually, and this is virtually a statistical certainty, some of those people are going to prove to be too irresponsible to be trusted with that right, and innocent people will die.
I don't know what the solution is, so I won't propose one, but it's obvious that we simply cannot allow just anyone to walk around with a gun on their person. There have to be standards, and they have to be high standards. There are innocent lives on the line. We can't afford to do this carelessly and without regard for the rights of the unarmed.
samsingh
(17,900 posts)give people the right to arm themselves
give people the right to fill with the flimsiest lie of feeling threatened
Innocent people get destroyed.
PS. wait for the argument that the poor victim would have lived had he been armed.
Fredjust
(52 posts)I'll propose a solution to you, one that should have been done 50+ years ago.
Repeal the Second Amendment. Use concealed carry permits/gun shop sales records/police records/etc. to have every local law enforcement agency confiscate ALL guns (hunting is barbaric and a flimsy exscuse to own a death spewer) after a short "grace period" to turn in firearms. Then add heavy penalties (with affirmative justice adjustments, of course) to those caught in possession of firearms.
Profit.
Speck Tater
(10,618 posts)I'd never support that in a million years.
It would be prohibition all over again with black market guns all over the place and even less control and accountability than there is now.
Fredjust
(52 posts)It wouldn't be. There are many countries where guns are banned that see a SIGNIFICANT decrease in gun violence.
Speck Tater
(10,618 posts)bobclark86
(1,415 posts)like the ban on weed. How many DUers "partake?"
Yup, that'll do.
Or not... the only "profit" you will see will be for the black market gunrunners and the lawyers who get elected to public office for their "tough stance."
Spryguy
(120 posts)Ban guns. Especially handguns. We do not need them in our society. Let the criminals have them, police will take care of them. Plus, without easy access to guns, it would make law enforcement jobs when having to deal with psychotic right wingers much, much easier because they won't have their filthy death spewers to create stand offs.
Baitball Blogger
(48,047 posts)izquierdista
(11,689 posts)I'll bet 100% of a FOX News viewers' poll would say -- who??
ProgressiveProfessor
(22,144 posts)Its pretty common and the foundation of some wonderful rants, but its still a bad lie.
Zimmerman should be convicted unless it can be shown he was in reasonable fear of his life. That is the standard and Stand Your Ground did not change that.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)If those who aren't into seeing more and more folks arming up had not protested.
ProgressiveProfessor
(22,144 posts)FL AG announced it is going to the Grand Jury...this is far from over, nor should it be.
Anti gun rights people had nothing to do with this. Everyone I know is appalled.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)You obviously didn't read the earliest posts about this incident. Some from the gudgeon were there sticking up for Zimmerman.
Are those supposedly appalled going to discuss anything about SYG and stop pushing for relaxed gun laws? Or are they already back to planning their next lethal weapon acquisition and re-reading the gudgeon thread advising toters to turn off cell phones in case they shoot an unarmed teenager, or something?
ProgressiveProfessor
(22,144 posts)I've been following this fairly closely and I did not see those posts.
Since SYG has nothing to do with this, why would it be under discussion? The standard for the use of deadly force is clear and that is what the investigation should hinge on.
Remember, I like the victim, I am black, though unlike the victim, I carry a sidearm just about everywhere.