"Justice for Trayvon" Rally in Downtown Atlanta

By Gabby

Today there is a rally planned in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. It is one of the many rallies, and protests, going on all over the country related to the trial State of Florida v. George Zimmerman*. The gatherings are focusing on a number of issues. The AP calls them 'Justice for Trayvon' rallies, and says that attendees will call for charges to be brought by the federal government, attention to racial tension and a re-examining of the "stand your ground" law, among other issues. (It was actually difficult to find ANY site that would list these rallies as anything other than "Justice for Trayvon" events, and explain exactly what those rallying hope to achieve.)

I hope those rallying can respect the justice system, even if they don't agree with the outcome, and be grateful for their constitutional right to gather. [tweet this]

• Is it terrible that a young, unarmed person was shot to death?

Absolutely!

• Do I feel for his family and respect their grief?

100% (In fact, I must commend the Martin parents for their stoic attitude through this painful time in their lives.)

However, as this is a site dedicated to guns, I would like to focus, narrowly, on the issue of the "stand your ground" law. Georgia, like Florida, maintains this law in order to protect a person who feels threatened by another. The term "Stand Your Ground" is an unfortunate tag that has been given to this law, because it inspires the image of a stand off between two cowboys with revolvers on their hips and itchy trigger fingers. This is not, at all, the point of the law. Simplistically, "Stand your ground" means that if I feel that my life is being threatened by a person coming toward me, and I draw my gun and fire on them, the legal system will not require that I first tried to run away from my attacker, before I fired.

When I write about self defense, I feel it's very important to consider avoidance and situational awareness. I don't think anyone should blame a victim of a crime, but I do think we can look at past situations, and say, what could I have done to avoid being targeted all together? I don't think I should legally be required to run from a rapist, but I do think it's my responsibility to make it hard for him to pick me as his next victim.

At these rallies across the country, I hope they will focus on the sad outcome of that night. A young boy's life is over and that is one of the only awful facts we know for sure. In his memory, I hope America can work on making ourselves better by improving education and cleaning up neighborhoods where crime is able to breed. I hope those that rally can respect the American justice system, even if they don't agree with the outcome and take pride in our great country for allowing them to exercise their constitutional right to gather. Lastly, I hope today is a day without violence.

©2013 ArmedCandy,LLC

* Please note that I use the legal name of this case, intentionally, to keep from creating confusion over the actual issues involved.