What does amaze me is that LaPierre was still ranting about Obama in Sept. 2011, long after the Tea Party had engaged the parking brake in the House. Even if the President wanted to tighten restrictions on gun ownership, what hope would he realistically have of getting the legislation through Congress?

I won’t apologize, but I will admit I was wrong.

I don’t see how the SYG law can be relevant. Zimmerman’s statement to the police is that he followed Martin, then headed back to his vehicle and was attacked without warning and knocked down. His defense must be that he was already retreating (and so SYG is irrelevant) or that he was suddenly attacked without a chance to retreat (and so SYG is irrelevant).

The state case appears to be that Zimmerman pursued Martin, then attacked and killed him. For this also, SYG is irrelevant.

There seems to be no reason to bring stand-your-ground laws into this case. I’m frustrated that many people seem to want to get on their hobby horses about it.

I don’t care what the fools who sponsored this law without reading it say to cover their ass. I care that it has gotten killers off the hook before and will do so again.

And if “they” are not, then it IS Islamophobia.

I’m not a legal expert, but I don’t see how “stand your ground” can be so easily dismissed as inapplicable to the Martin case. Here’s the relevant portion of the Florida statute:

“A person who is not engaged in an unlawful activity and who is attacked in any other place where he or she has a right to be has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly force if he or she reasonably believes it is necessary to do so to prevent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the commission of a forcible felony.”

Zimmerman claims he was attacked and shot Martin in self-defense, apparently believing he was in danger of “death or great bodily harm” even though Martin was unarmed.

As for whether the law was “foremost in Zimmerman’s mind at the time,” it isn’t worth discussing; none of us are mind-readers. But it’s certainly plausible to conjecture that it was in his mind at some point: when he obtained his concealed weapon permit, for example, or when he volunteered to lead the Neighborhood Watch patrol, and maybe even when he showed up for his shift the night of Martin’s death.

However, I am not happy with linking this issue to the Trayvon Martin killing and using it as a platform to criticize the “stand your ground” laws. As far as I know, everyone with a credible legal viewpoint has said that the SYG law isn’t applicable to this case, including Zimmerman’s former lawyers. Zimmerman’s statement is facially inconsistent with a stand your ground defense.

Secondly, it borders on ludicrous to say Martin might be alive today if it wasn’t for this law. That would suppose that the thing foremost in Zimmerman’s mind at the time was a legal analysis of Florida gun law.

As a supporter of the SPLC I don’t care to see you exploiting a tragic event to score political points, unless the event is directly related to the issue.

Smooth move NRA. Now even people who support gun rights who are not bigots, will have a hard time supporting you.