Self defense laws are important to protect the safety of citizens, but isn’t a law that ultimately states that a weapon can be used in any confrontation ludicrous? Florida adapted this ‘Stand Your Ground Law’ in 2005 with a lot of controversy surrounding it.  The most infamous example of this law occurred on January 26^th, 2012 when George Zimmerman, 28, shot Trayvon Martin, 17. As for what deadly weapon Martin had on him: just a bag of skittles and a drink from 7-Eleven.

Zimmerman was watching the neighborhood at night when he saw Martin walking to his dad’s fiancée’s house in a gated community wearing a hoodie. Martin was aware he was being followed, and frantically called his girlfriend. During the call, the girlfriend could hear Martin asking Zimmerman why he was following him. After that nothing was heard on the other end of the line. Minutes after the conversation ended, Martin was fatally shot in his chest.

Neighbors gathered to watch the tragedy that could have been prevented. As a member of the neighborhood watch, Zimmerman should have been working with other neighbors. Also, he should not have been carrying a gun, or been following Martin himself. Instead, Zimmerman was expected to wait for police.

Martin’s death is unjust and completely unwarranted. It is a travesty that Zimmerman, a killer without a shadow of a doubt, has not been arrested and in fact is protected by Florida’s twisted law.  Zimmerman was not doing his job and acted on impulse. He should not have felt threatened by Martin, but if he did there was no reason that he should have gone against his duty and defied authority. Something does not quite add up when a man with a gun feels threatened by a teenager who is just trying to go home.

Of course, race is an issue as Martin was African American. This issue is even more of a vital factor as this crime can become a federal one if a racial altercation is the basis of the crime. Therefore, Zimmerman will have more of a chance to be tried.  Yet any a racial remark has not been found on the phone conversations.

Martin’s parents are mourning the public death of their child and holding on to a shred of hope to seek justice for their son. Now that this issue is pushed under the spotlight, the ‘Stand Your Ground Law’ will be debated even more. The whole nation is waiting for an answer and can examine the law and its detrimental qualities. Florida needs to repeal this strange law that has no real purpose but to give people the right to kill without questions. People need to consider what really justifies as self defense and use common sense to realize what is not.