Trayvon Martin And Guns

There has been a lot of talk about guns since the Martin shooting, a lot. Anybody who has ever followed this blog know that it takes a pro-2nd Amendment stance - and that firearms are not toys. This is also a place that has no tolerance for bigotry.

There seems to be an idea that the ability to carry a gun brought on this shooting or that standing your ground caused it. As far as I can tell an idiot stalked a black youth while armed and caused a confrontation that he resolved with a shooting. If there is a question, it ought to have to do with conduct that whether it was bigotted or not was entirely reckless in its stupidity. It is real sure that if Zimmerman had been armed with a lollipop the outcome would have been different, but making every gun owner a Zimmerman is stupid.

I've read a bit about Florida's manslaughter law and it seems to completely trump the stand your ground statute in such a situation. I do not understand the lack of detention of Zimmerman in the face of what was obvious - a dead unarmed teenager engaged in lawful behavior. In the absence of what would appear to be reasonable behavior by law-enforcement one gets pushed into thinking bigotry.

I'll support right to carry and right to carry concealed, but while doing so I want to state unequivocably that there are outcomes to behavior. If you play goddam cowboy with a gun and kill somebody who shouldn't have been you're in a serious jam, really serious jam. If law isn't real clear about this, and I'm not sure isn't in contrast to manslaughter and stand your ground, it should be. It should be very clear to anyone carrying that use of force at that level involves real responsibilities. This is what is lacking in the Martin case and has so inflamed people - aside from what looks an awful lot like blatant race based... bullshit.

I find it pointless to talk about any bigotry on Zimmerman's part, if it is there - he's one of very many people. There isn't spit I can do about bigots beyond mock and condemn them. Bigots or anyone else who kill or harm people need to understand that the law is going to stomp a mudhole in them if they do so without real justification. What Zimmerman's treatment seems to suggest is that this isn't so, that law-enforcement hands out free passes to some in such a case and that encourages the kind of behavior that led to this pass.

I like firearms but I never mistake them for toys, they are dangerous in all cases and need to be treated in such a way. There is a reason that the first law of gun handling is that all guns are loaded until proven otherwise - it can kill someone in the blink of an eye and you don't get do-overs. Everything follows from that and legal responsibilies also should.