Sorry, but I think you folks are missing the boat on this one.
Did Zimmerman kill T. Martin? Yes, obviously, he admits it. Was it justifiable? I can’t say, and neither can you, we were not there. We don’t know what was in his mind, we don’t know what the witnesses have to say, we are not sure who was attacking whom.
Whatever happened to “It’s better to be judged by 12 than to be carried by 6”? Mr. Zimmerman made a choice, and now he is getting his chance to have that choice judged based upon the law and by a jury of his peers. He is also being given the chance to get his side of the story out, by him, on the record and in public. Something that has pretty much been denied him by all the press jumping on board the “Racial” band wagon. I see this process as a good thing, not something to be despised or feared. Yes, it’s going to cost him a small fortune, but it seems that he has a competent attorney and I keep hearing about funds being set up for his legal defense. When you make a decision of this magnitude there is a price that must be paid, and not just in cash. Mr. Zimmerman made his choice, and now he is just beginning to find out what that price might be. I’d be happy to donate to his defense fund, should some enterprising person set one up.
Self Defense laws are still evolving in our country. We just finished one chapter here in our own state, and we didn’t get what we wanted. I have hope for the future, that we as armed citizens will be able to make these decisions appropriately and have the force of law behind us as long as we remain within the law when making our decision. In Florida they are charging Mr. Zimmerman, it’s how laws are tested. There will be a winner as well as a looser, and in the end someone will be happy about it and someone will be mad as hell about it. We know that day is coming now, Castle Doctrine is being tested in the courts of the state that has done more for gun rights than just about any other. IMO, that is a good place for this to happen.
I also see this as a learning opportunity for us, the NFOA. Depending on the outcome of Mr. Zimmerman’s trial we will know what areas of the law we can place emphasis on and which are a looser at the gate. For us here in Nebraska, I see this as a win no matter how Mr. Zimmerman’s trial turns out. We gain a better understanding of how Castle Doctrine is and should be applied, and the areas to avoid.
Ron