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I hate to point this out, since I often agree with your posts, but from the very beginning the police said he wasn't on watch patrol that evening. He was on his way to run errands. I once posted a quote from an interview with Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee (who "temporarily" stepped down) where he said Zimmerman was on his way to Target.
However, I wonder why he was wearing a gun holstered to his waist. I don't know about you, but I never see anyone walking around Target with a gun. Maybe the guns are well concealed, but usually they're in jeans and tees, so a holster would be difficult to hide. One poster on CD said he always carries a loaded gun in a fanny pack.
I conceal carry on a regular basis. It is a glock 26, a 9mm subcompact. I keep the gun in a holster on my waist, inside the waistband and with my shirt over it. I regularly walk around in Target/Nordstrums/Nieman Marcus/Gas Stations/Pet stores with no problem. It's very easy with an inside the waste band holster like Zimmerman had to conceal these weapons. I have never once been "made" in years of concealed carry. My girlfriend, friends, and family do not know I'm carrying unless they ask.
As to why he would do this, I don't know. I heard somewhere he had been robbed once or maybe more than that. He lived in a sketchy area it sounds like. Generally, when you concealed carry, you don't pick and choose the times you will carry. One of the most common places a person gets robbed is an area like a Target parking lot.
I have thought (since the facts have come out) that Zimmerman is innocent. I do have to admit that as someone with a concealed handgun permit, I think it was extremely foolish of him from a personal perspective to get involved. My instructor, who was a cop, emphasized to always avoid rather than trying to play hero, and how even the most justified shootings are often prosecuted for political reasons.
My instinct is to keep my nose out of other people's business. Even when confronted with a sketchy person my instinct is to use words, and run if necessary (I'm 95% I can outrun most thugs, Zimmerman might not be so blessed). A gun is an absolute last resort, and when carrying one it's smart to avoid even the remotest possibility of conflict. Someone looks like they're up to no good? Keep going, call cops. Someone says something mean? Smile and nod and keep going. Someone insults your girlfriend? Swallow it and move on. That to me is how serious it is to carry a deadly weapon. You should be above all of the petty nonsense. Maybe Zimmerman felt he was some supercop because he had a gun, and was invincible from harm from a young tough-guy like Trayvon. Obviously a foolish assumption. The correct instinct is the opposite, in my view. Carrying a gun should make you even more aware of danger, more eager to avoid any trouble.
All this is common sense, not law. You are not legally required to "mind your own business." And if someone is sitting on top of you hitting you, I firmly believe you are justified in using deadly force (assuming you didn't provoke the physical altercation). my instructor used an example in our class. He told us about the first concealed carry case that went to trial in Texas, which involved a guy beating another guy in a Wal Mart parking lot. He was acquitted. But many people (including many on this board) are either ignorant or in denial about the reality of violence, and how quickly a beat down can turn deadly.
Last edited by needTXinfo; 04-13-2012 at 04:25 PM..
'George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch crime captain who shot dead 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, originally told police in a written statement that Martin knocked him down with a punch to the nose, repeatedly slammed his head on the ground and tried to take his gun, a police source told ABC News.'
[URL="http://abcnews.go.com/US/trayvon-martin-shooter-teenager-gun/story?id=16000239"]Trayvon Martin Shooter Says Teenager Went for His Gun - ABC News[/URL]
Maybe the source is wrong, but you surely haven't seen gz's statement to police.
Well, all of that information has been removed, but it was never noted in the original police report IIRC. That said, I don't know how complete any information released to the public was at any time.
Now, if that's the case, then I certainly hope they tested the gun or a buckle for fingerprints. I don't know much about holsters to be perfectly honest, but I wonder why he was wearing the red jacket on the police video. A retired law enforcement officer on a show I was watching made a comment that Zimmerman wiped his feet (shown on the police video) and that his shoes should have been removed and bagged at the scene for evidence. I'm not a cop or an attorney, but it certainly makes sense to me, especially if he was walking around the grass where Martin was shot.
You know, I'm not even sure. I think I read that they did. They certainly were supposed to.
I'm googling about it now, but have not come up with anything definitive.
I can't seem to find anything. They should have but that doesn't mean that they did. Jeez it was a homicide and they didn't seem to care. Even what a cop shots someone there is an investigation.
that's a low res image. all the defense lawyer needs to do is ask, can you see detail in that video, if someone says yes, then the defense will ask, what is the plate number on the police vehicle. if the person cannot answer, then the video will be disqualified as validity to no injuries.
but, if police testifies seeing injuries to zimmerman, then it provides reasonable doubt that zimmerman did not have injuries and will dismiss that video at proof of no injuries.
Look at his shirt and jacket. Do you see any blood from a victim who has been shot in the chest while allegedly on top of him?
What he said is the truth. I remember a black undercover police officer was shot and killed (in NY) while chasing a perp, by a white officer. Of course he just assumed the black officer was a criminal.
And it's popular with people because most are tired of some of the liberals' mentality to turn criminals into victims, and victims into criminals.
I know a lot of people who own guns and even some hunters (I don't hunt) who think the interpretation of Stand-Your-Ground has been used irresponsibly in many cases.
Remember, the law isn't "Follow someone in your SUV, chase him on foot and then Stand-Your-Ground." As I said before, even if Trayvon Martin did hit George Zimmerman, he was doing what you think is right, standing his ground and defending himself.
Who said this was a White neighborhood? The 6:00 news? There are over 50 Black residents who live in the Twin Lakes townhouses. Maybe that means it's "white" but compared to what? 20% or more means it's a racially mixed development, at least it does to me. About 20% of its residents are Hispanic. I suppose it depends on where you live. 20% is 20% more than my neighborhood. Last year I lived in a community with 551 homes and I believe it was 100% White. (no, this isn't on purpose) Much of Florida is very segregated.
I read somewhere that is was prominently white.
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