George Zimmerman Verdict – My Take Away

 Uncategorized
Jul 162013
 

“Not guilty?”

“What the hell?”

Both are questions I asked myself over and over again Saturday night, because I don’t have a social life and I was glued to the “Zimmerman Verdict Watch” on Fox News.

If you know me, you know I hate being wrong. LOL Even-more so, I hate admitting that I was wrong.

I fully expected Zimmerman to be convicted of manslaughter. For the life of me could not figure out how or why he was acquitted, so I opened my Florida State Statue book and began digging. Then I found it, the flaw in Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law that needs to be changed, and the loophole Zimmerman wiggled through.

I’ve pasted it below, and this seems to fit Zimmerman getting out of the car and approaching Martin.

Here it is. Read 2(a) very closely

776.041 Use of force by aggressor.
—The justification described in the preceding sections of this chapter is not available to a person who:
(1) Is attempting to commit, committing, or escaping after the commission of, a forcible felony; or
(2) Initially provokes the use of force against himself or herself, unless:
(a) Such force is so great that the person reasonably believes that he or she is in imminent danger of death or great bodily harm and that he or she has exhausted every reasonable means to escape such danger other than the use of force which is likely to cause death or great bodily harm to the assailant; or
(b) In good faith, the person withdraws from physical contact with the assailant and indicates clearly to the assailant that he or she desires to withdraw and terminate the use of force, but the assailant continues or resumes the use of force.
History.—s. 13, ch. 74-383; s. 1190, ch. 97-102.

So What Does This Mean for Legally Armed Citizens?

Does it say we’re allowed to “start it” and then claim stand your ground when we “finish” it? I hate to say it but that’s what it looks like it says. I don’t agree with it, and I wouldn’t want to stretch it. I’d like to see it removed from the law, so from now on when someone asks me if Florida’s stand your ground law is flawed, I can only answer, “yes.”

I’ve read Senator Smith’s Stand Your Ground Task report and they talk about changing a lot of Florida’s stand you ground law. Some of it does need to be changed.

So who’s fault was it, in my opinion, Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law. Wow – can’t believe I said it, what do you think?