After reading about the Trayvon Martin case these past few weeks I feel a national discussion on the "right to carry" laws should be discussed at length if only to avoid this from happening again. Few details have been released, but people are very angry that this happened and that no investigation was done by local law enforcement. My feeling is one of sadness and I am sure the shooter George Zimmerman feels the same as I do - at least this is what some witnesses have stated What could have prevented this tragedy is what we all should all be asking ourselves. As for policy on this subject I side with California's strict gun control laws that make it very difficult to carry a loaded weapon unless you have a concealed weapons permit license or are law enforcement. These people are trained rigorously and know how to respond to a threat much more than the average citizen does.
My policy would follow California's law as follows:
You act in lawful self-defense if you:
1. reasonably believe that you are in imminent danger of being killed, seriously injured, or unlawfully touched.
2. believe that immediate force is necessary to prevent that danger and
3. use no more force than necessary to defend against that danger.
California also does not have a "stand your ground" law that makes it easier for a citizen to shoot first and ask questions later. Florida's "stand your ground" law does not permit a person to walk around his or her neighborhood with a loaded firearm without a special permit so Mr. George Zimmerman might be found guilty just for carrying the gun that fateful night.
As Gail Collins of the New York Times said "The best solution for all concerned would be a national gun-control law that makes it difficult to get a concealed weapons permit and to limit them to the home, business, or glove compartment unless that individual is in the security business. Mr Zimmerman was not a licensed security officer, but only a zealous neighborhood watch person who's lack of training probably contributed to this nightmare. I bet he wishes this never happened and if a national law was in place maybe it wouldn't have.
link:http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/22/opinion/collins-pity-the-poor-gun-lobby.html?scp=4&sq=march%2022,%202012%20&st=cse
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