In a disgusting display of opportunism, Mayor Bloomberg took advantage today of the Trayvon Martin case to further his anti-gun agenda:
Perhaps, in all his anti-gun fluster, Mayor Bloomberg is unable to understand the simple dichotomy of this case: If Mr. Zimmerman was an instigator and threatened or provoked Mr. Martin in any way, nothing in the Florida legislation would prevent him from being convicted for murder. The Florida 'stand your ground' law does not give someone a free pass for committing murder. It simply allows one the use of lethal force if threatened with bodily harm, without the need to retreat.
On the other hand, if Mr. Zimmerman was simply walking the streets following someone he deemed suspicious, even if that may have been offensive to some (myself included), we live under the Rule of Law, and we do not have the right to use violence to discourage others' (legal) actions that we dislike. If Mr. Martin indeed attacked Mr. Zimmerman provoked only by his legal action of observing and following, then Mr. Martin suffered only the lawful consequences of his unlawful actions, in this scenario. In fact, even in some states that do not have so-called 'stand your ground' laws, the threat of bodily harm, if the victim-to-be has no way to safely retreat, would be reasonable justification for lethal force (I'm sure the prospect of forceful self defense by law-abiding citizens must horrify the Mayor).
The bottom line is that it is unlikely that anyone will ever know for sure what exactly happened that night. So far we only have Mr. Zimmerman's word. The mayor is no better informed of the facts as any one of the two readers following this blog. His vilification of Mr. Zimmerman and his aspersions cast about Mr. Zimmerman's past are no more than ad hominem attacks. Mayor Bloomberg's quest to disarm citizens and force them to rely on government services for their self-preservation is unsettling enough. But his willingness to use a young man's death to his own advantage, and co-opt the facts of this issue to benefit his anti-gun propaganda, these actions are downright villainous.
"The 'stand the ground,' as they're called, laws are opposed by law enforcement and opposed by prosecutors. And there's another issue, which I didn't read very much about. The shooter, this guy Zimmerman, how could he have had a permit to carry a concealed weapon, a loaded gun in the first place? Because long before he shot Trayvon Martin, he was arrested for attacking a police officer and was the subject of a court order to prevent domestic violence.
"But unfortunately, in Florida, the gun laws are very lax. And unfortunate, law-enforcement officials have never been able to revoke this guy's license to carry a loaded gun in public."Did you hear that, kids? The 'stand your ground' laws are bad for you, because your elders and handlers say so!
"The gun lobby is writing our nation's gun laws. It's a disgrace. They write 'em in Washington. They write 'em in the state capitals. And the result is that our children are being killed, our police officers are being killed, you and I and our families are in danger."Without knowing any firm facts about the shooting incident (Zimmerman likely being the only living person that knows whatever happened that night) the Mayor decided that "this guy" Mr. Zimmerman is guilty of murder, that his impunity is a result of laws that allow one to stand his or her ground against aggressors, that the so-called gun lobby's sole purpose is to reduce our safety and kill our children.
Perhaps, in all his anti-gun fluster, Mayor Bloomberg is unable to understand the simple dichotomy of this case: If Mr. Zimmerman was an instigator and threatened or provoked Mr. Martin in any way, nothing in the Florida legislation would prevent him from being convicted for murder. The Florida 'stand your ground' law does not give someone a free pass for committing murder. It simply allows one the use of lethal force if threatened with bodily harm, without the need to retreat.
On the other hand, if Mr. Zimmerman was simply walking the streets following someone he deemed suspicious, even if that may have been offensive to some (myself included), we live under the Rule of Law, and we do not have the right to use violence to discourage others' (legal) actions that we dislike. If Mr. Martin indeed attacked Mr. Zimmerman provoked only by his legal action of observing and following, then Mr. Martin suffered only the lawful consequences of his unlawful actions, in this scenario. In fact, even in some states that do not have so-called 'stand your ground' laws, the threat of bodily harm, if the victim-to-be has no way to safely retreat, would be reasonable justification for lethal force (I'm sure the prospect of forceful self defense by law-abiding citizens must horrify the Mayor).
The bottom line is that it is unlikely that anyone will ever know for sure what exactly happened that night. So far we only have Mr. Zimmerman's word. The mayor is no better informed of the facts as any one of the two readers following this blog. His vilification of Mr. Zimmerman and his aspersions cast about Mr. Zimmerman's past are no more than ad hominem attacks. Mayor Bloomberg's quest to disarm citizens and force them to rely on government services for their self-preservation is unsettling enough. But his willingness to use a young man's death to his own advantage, and co-opt the facts of this issue to benefit his anti-gun propaganda, these actions are downright villainous.
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