Being Right: Stand Up For Your Rights
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The political airwaves have been filled with pundits opining on the death of teenager Trayvon Martin. As usual, there is an abundance of disinformation being thrown around. The narrative of the liberal media is that the death of Martin was a murder and a racially driven hate crime. Initial reports described the shooter, George Zimmerman, as being white despite the fact that his mother is Hispanic. After this fact was brought to light, liberal news reports, such as the New York Times, started to invoke the ridiculous term “White Hispanic.”
All the facts are still not out, so it is pointless to speculate as to whether Zimmerman murdered Martin or if he was just trying to defend himself. This case is starting to smell like the Duke lacrosse case of 2006, in which everyone rushed to judgment and three lacrosse players were found guilty in the court of public opinion. If the events of Febru-ary 26 took place as the Martin family believes they did, then Zimmerman should go to jail.
However, if Martin was slamming Zimmerman’s head into the concrete as the Zimmer-man family believes, then it is hard to fault George Zimmerman for using lethal force. The bottom line is that the last thing we need is for President Obama and others to chime in on a matter that they do not have a clue about.
Besides the racial tension, there is another fascinating aspect to this case, and that is the merits of “Stand Your Ground” laws.
Currently, 24 states have a version of this law that allows a person who fears for his or her life to use self-defense without having the obligation to retreat first.
Calls to repeal “Stand Your Ground” laws are misguid-ed. In fact, every state should have a “Stand Your Ground” law. If someone attacks you to the point where your life is threatened, then you are in a state of war with your attacker and you have an obligation to make sure that you are the one who is still breathing at the end of your encounter. The state should not be in the business of preventing citizens from defending themselves. Since “Stand Your Ground” was passed in Florida in 2004, violent crime and homicides have dropped.
Activists who are calling for the law to be re-pealed are trying to profit from a tragedy, which is a disgrace. Until 2010, Chicago had a ban on handguns. Despite this fact, Chicago was one of the leading cities for violent crimes.
This is because the gun ban really only prevents law abid-ing citizens from owning handguns.
Criminals can still easily get their guns on the black market. The repeal of “Stand Your Ground” laws will be a victory for criminals.
At the end of the day, “Stand Your Ground” laws are not controversial to me. As a citizen, I have the right to defend myself anywhere at any time.
When push comes to shove, I will do whatever I can to save my life. In the words of Booker T. Washington, “it is better to be judged by twelve than carried by six.” God Bless the state of Florida and its “Stand Your Ground” law.
Contact Kyle Gavin at [email protected].