Quote from Nine_Ender:
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In conclusion, tell me something. Where you live, if you heard Zimmerman was recruited to patrol your neighborhood, packing heat, would you agree its a good thing ? That's assuming he's acquitted as many on here claim will happen.
First, Zimmerman lived in that neighborhood. He wasn't just out cruising around looking for trouble. He was volunteering to make his neighborhood safer. He coudl have been home watching some game or surfing the internet, but instead he was out on a rainy night looking for criminals. It's not like he was paranoid either, as his neighborhood had numerous breakins.
Second, I agree with you that I am not really comfortable with the idea that every Tom, Dick and Mary is out there carrying a gun, legally or not. Many are well-trained, some just trained enough to get a CCW permit. Anytime someone is carrying, there is the risk that an ordinary confrontation turns deadly. We have discussed that on these boards before.
The facts are however that, contrary to the hysterical fears of anti-gun activists, concealed carry laws have been a big success in the US. The predicted orgy of killings over parking spots and traffic accidents has not materialized. Indeed, as Lucrum notes, police have a much higher rate of hitting bystanders than armed citizens. In addition, research has documented that violent crime rates have declined in states with CCW laws.
Finally, yes, I would feel better with Zimmerman out here patrolling the streets of my neighborhood. Cops get into situations all the time that result in people, some unarmed and some innocent, being shot. No one is demanding that cops be taken off the street. Few get charged. Certainly, if Zimmerman had been a police officer, he would never had been charged, even with race hustlers fomenting riots.
You seem to be outraged over the death of Martin, and perhaps baffled by our seeming acceptance of it. The unhappy fact of it is that he is not at all unusual in our big urban areas. A borderline criminal with a chip on his shoulder, looking for an excuse to get violent with someone, particularly a white. Zimmerman's account of their encounter makes perfect sense and is consistent with all other facts and evidence. The state's version by contrast is ludicrous. They want us to believe that Zimmerman would call the police as he was stalking a guy he had targeted for racial reasons, then shoot him right after getting off the phone with the police. If he had attacked Martin, where is the evidence? All Zimmerman's wounds were defensive.
