Who agrees with me that the main message of the Zimmerman case is that we need sensible gun control?

[Nye Bevan]

There are always going to be arguments and fist-fights. But regardless of the races of the people involved, if no gun is involved the outcome will probably be some bruises, a black eye, maybe a broken nose. When people are allowed to carry guns it is much too easy for incidents like this to end in tragedy, and then, as we have seen, with one of the participants dead it becomes much more difficult to figure out exactly what happened.

If this encounter had taken place on the streets of London, England rather than Sanford, FL, Trayvon Martin would be alive today. We don't need to abolish juries, get rid of reasonable doubt, abolish the Fifth Amendment, and so on, we just need rational gun control.

[KarenS]

1. I agree with you,,,

but after this trial,

I think we need to talk about sensible sidewalk control as well.

[naaman fletcher]

2. Personally, I think it's more about a change in the self defense laws.

When I learned to shoot many years ago and I had a CCW I was taught that when you have a concealed weapon everything changes. That you are now responsible to be super cautious in everything that you do and avoid confrontations.

The NRA types haven't turned that on it's head and made into "go around and be a tough guy".

So, while it was not illegal for GZ to follow Martin while carrying a gun, basically it should be. He should be in jail for manslaughter or something for starting an incident that led to TM's death, even if he didn't intend it to go that far.

[Nye Bevan]

4. My view is that Zimmerman should not have been allowed to have the gun (nt)

[uponit7771]

3. Hartmann: syg DID play a a part in Zimmerman being let go

[HiPointDem]

5. not me.

[NoOneMan]

6. You need laws that don't allow subjective consideration of race to dictate verdicts

The same laws can convict a black man and acquit a white man in two duplicate situations

[geek tragedy]

7. Call it the George Zimmerman rule: anyone like him or below

a certain line should not be allowd to own a gun.

[Raffi Ella]

8. The main message is bigotry and violence against blacks

and the systemic racism that encourages and enables it. Gun control needs to happen, that's obvious. But Trayvon Martin would still be alive today if he had been white. That is the main message of the Zimmerman case.

It's not hard to figure out what happened either, Nye. Zimmerman was armed and followed an innocent unarmed black boy. That black boy is now dead. That? is what happened.

[Logical]

9. Defining "sensible" is the issue! n-t

[Nye Bevan]

10. Well, I define it as the UK system.

Which, unfortunately, puts me in a tiny, tiny minority here. But since I am not running for elected office I can say it.