What is murder? The killing of one party by another party. While there is a charge for murder, people find loopholes in the system, this being the Stand-Your-Ground law. This law gives "victims" permission to use deadly force against their perpetrator for self-defense. However, this law has protected many murderers from facing charges. Three example of this include the murders of Emmet Till, Trayvon Martin, and, within the last few months, the murder of Jordan Davis. Each of these cases has a common theme: a black teenager being murdered by a white man in self defense. This "Stand-Your-Ground law needs to be modified so gruesome murders like these don't occur in the future.
The most gruesome murder of them all, the murder of Emmet Till, stirred up controversy over black rights and privileges. Emmet Till, a fourteen year old, was transported to a barn, beat up, and had one of his eyes gorged out before finally being shot. Bryant, the perpetrator, was let off scot-free because of confusions regarding the murder as well as the position of self-defense. Later, under the protection of Double Jeopardy, Bryant admitted to killing Till. This stirred up controversy amongst the black community, and was noted as a pivotal event towards obtaining African-American rights.
Last year, February 2012, as you all know, Trayvon Martin was shot after reportedly seeming out of place, walking around the rain leisurely, cutting in-between houses, and looking at all the houses. Zimmerman, the perpetrator, came out of the violent encounter with a bloody nose. Zimmerman claimed to be acting in self defense, and was protected under the Stand-Your-Ground law. My question is, why did Zimmerman have a gun to shoot Martin in the first place? Does everybody have a gun in their back pocket or something? Everybody seems to want a gun for protection, but I don't see any stories about a man protecting his family from a murderer. I just don't see the point in having a gun, it only causes more and more harm. No person should be able to decide whether a person should live or not with a pull of a trigger.
Most recently, in December 2012, Jordan Davis was shot by a gun collector in self defense. Michael Dunn, the perpetrator, claimed that when told to turn their blasting music down, Davis pointed a gun at him. When the area was searched, it was reported that Davis never had a gun. In this case, it was only logical for Dunn to have a gun; he's a gun collector. He felt threatened by Davis, thinking Davis pointed a gun at him. In response, Dunn pulled out a gun and shot at Davis' car eight times, killing Davis. While the circumstances were unfortunate, Dunn had a right to shoot at the car. This proves that these murders are still happening.
The United States Government needs to revise their policy of the Stand-Your-Ground law. Given the current condition of the law, if one feels threatened by another, they have a right to use deadly forces to stop the threat. However, this law has been stretched. In the case of Emmet Till and Trayvon Martin, both of these teenagers didn't pose a direct threat to the citizen until the citizen got involved. Along with the stand-your-ground law, gun control also needs to be monitored. No citizen should have the right to decide the fate of another citizen with the simple pull of a trigger. People shouldn't feel the need to buy guns for their own protection. However, because of stories like this, more and more Americans seek to buy a gun, "just in case". The only result of having the power to decide whether a person should live or not would be irresponsible use, resulting in unnecessary death. Leave the dangers of the world up to the police, not yourself.
The most gruesome murder of them all, the murder of Emmet Till, stirred up controversy over black rights and privileges. Emmet Till, a fourteen year old, was transported to a barn, beat up, and had one of his eyes gorged out before finally being shot. Bryant, the perpetrator, was let off scot-free because of confusions regarding the murder as well as the position of self-defense. Later, under the protection of Double Jeopardy, Bryant admitted to killing Till. This stirred up controversy amongst the black community, and was noted as a pivotal event towards obtaining African-American rights.
Last year, February 2012, as you all know, Trayvon Martin was shot after reportedly seeming out of place, walking around the rain leisurely, cutting in-between houses, and looking at all the houses. Zimmerman, the perpetrator, came out of the violent encounter with a bloody nose. Zimmerman claimed to be acting in self defense, and was protected under the Stand-Your-Ground law. My question is, why did Zimmerman have a gun to shoot Martin in the first place? Does everybody have a gun in their back pocket or something? Everybody seems to want a gun for protection, but I don't see any stories about a man protecting his family from a murderer. I just don't see the point in having a gun, it only causes more and more harm. No person should be able to decide whether a person should live or not with a pull of a trigger.
Most recently, in December 2012, Jordan Davis was shot by a gun collector in self defense. Michael Dunn, the perpetrator, claimed that when told to turn their blasting music down, Davis pointed a gun at him. When the area was searched, it was reported that Davis never had a gun. In this case, it was only logical for Dunn to have a gun; he's a gun collector. He felt threatened by Davis, thinking Davis pointed a gun at him. In response, Dunn pulled out a gun and shot at Davis' car eight times, killing Davis. While the circumstances were unfortunate, Dunn had a right to shoot at the car. This proves that these murders are still happening.
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