Sorry again if this subject is too inflammatory, but I am really blown away by the media's handling of this murder. As is usual, there are the gun grabbers out there who point to this as an illustration of "Stand your ground" laws, and there are the usual suspects trying to make this a black/white issue, but I certainly don't see it that way, and I'm wondering what others think?

My take on it:

From the "Stand your ground" perspective, I'd say that it is highly doubtful that Zimmerman would be able to rationally claim that defense. "Stand your ground" doesn't give you permission to initiate a confrontation while armed. It was certainly not the intent of the law (in any of it's forms) to legalize putting oneself into a situation that one had to shoot their way out of. From a "self defense" perspective, it was failure compounded upon failure on Zimmerman's part that allowed the encounter to devolve into the physical contest which he felt required deadly force to resolve. I'm sorry, but the neighborhood watch is supposed to watch, not confront and then escalate.

From the "Race" angle, even Trayvon's parents have stated time and time again that they didn't believe that race was a factor in the killing, but that Zimmerman had acted willfully and recklessly and was not being prosecuted. The most salient point that seems to have been (intentionally) overlooked by the press in the question of why Zimmerman was was not immediately arrested and charged is that his father is a retired county judge.

I'm not going to sit here and talk about what a great kid Trayvon was. He was a teenager and likely as troubled as many one of us here ever were. Yes, he had some issues with drugs. So does half the teen population of the US. I'm certain he was no saint. But I don't see any of those factors as justifying the shooting. In fact, I don't see ANYTHING that Zimmerman did in re Martin that was justified, reasonable, or in keeping with the level of responsibility one has while carrying. I fully believe in the right to carry, but I also fully believe that a person should be subject to criminal prosecution for abusing that right.