Brilliant.
That’s a first.
I see this case as a clarifying point that's needed. It appears gun right's groups around the country are wildly divided as to where "the line" is. What I believe and what everyone else believes doesn't count. This trial MAY open discussion on Castle Doctrine to all those folks in the middle. The people who don't own guns but believe you have the right to defend yourself. People who hunt but don't carry for whatever reason. We (gun rights advocates) are not the majority,the antis are not the majority,there's a big group in the middle that's going to decide Castle Doctrine. We should embrace the aspects of this trial that will CLARIFY C.D. and SYG! This is free publicity for us! If Zimmerman crossed the line,I certainly won't defend him. If he is acquitted, I can point to SYG as WORKING to keep innocents from prison. (I know,his life is destroyed. I'm talking as an advocate) We,as a gun rights group,cannot find a consensus as to the application of CD in Florida,how can we expect the majority in the middle to comfortably accept it? We need to get the middle majority on our side. The antis are wooing them RIGHT NOW over this. Shining a bright light on the subject and inviting civil debate can only help us.
If he crossed the line then I will be standing right there next to you.
ONLY a court can decide that, they are the only one’s with the legal authority to do so. We can surely have our opinions, I do as much as anyone, but my concern is for the future of 2A rights.
On a side note........
The more I look at this case, the less I see Castle Doctrine or Stand Your Ground or even race as the biggest issue. Police can be charged under Color of Authority for misconduct. What about a city prosecutor who decides to halt an investigation,not convene a Grand Jury, and makes their own interpretation of the law? The more I look at it, CD is a smokescreen,race is a distraction. I believe a higher up political connection was the reason Zimmerman's investigation wasn't sent to a Grand Jury. A Grand Jury will send anything with a remote possibility to a trial. I wonder if a bright light will shine on the prosecutor who squashed the investigation. It appears the police were inclined to arrest. RJ
Personally, I am of the opinion that the special prosecutor had no choice but to charge him. Look at the results it has achieved.
Calm. It is no longer 60% of every news cycle. That is exactly what the nation needed right now. Right this moment it is a footnote in the scroll bar at the bottom of the TV screen. That WILL change when / if he gets bail, and for every other event in this case. It has gotten people, news people specially, talking about CD and self-defense. Mostly bad I would agree, but the conversation has started, in a really big way. A national discussion is under way, and that’s what the subject needed. I hope the discussion continues.
Eventually the special prosecutor will conclude that they don’t really have a case given the current laws in Florida, and Mr. Zimmerman will go free. But that will not be the end of it. Attempts to repeal CD and concealed carry will crop up around the country, and that is when the opposition comes into our game. We need to be prepared, ready to counter their hysteria with facts, ready to face the fanatics with the solid resolve of our convictions and all the data to prove them wrong without getting into a pissing match. Let the citizens currently on the fence see them as the one’s frothing at the mouth, and US as the one’s calmly presenting the facts without bias and without the hysteria they will display. Eventually we will have them playing our game again, which is right where we want them.
Ron
