Gun Gripes Episode 71: "Zimmerman Trial" 

Exactly, a responsible gun owner would have never put himself in the situation Zimmerman did. Which is why I wish some of the gun lobby groups would start supporting him. For people who CCW, even if the shooting was legit (which I am not convinced of) Zimmerman is a posterboy of what NOT to do for CCW.

***** I agree when someone is attacking you that you can defend yourself to whatever degree you have to, but they told him on the phone to stop following him and let the police handle it. It's possible the whole situation could have been avoided.

I agree that it could have been avoided. At the same time he had a cell phone too. He could have called 911, and said I'm being followed by someone. There are too sides too the story, and in the end it was tragic.

ToolOGT92 I agree, Zimmerman had no business confronting Martin after the 911 operator told him to stand down. All he had to do was keep an eye on him(description etc.) till the real police arrived! How was Martin a threat just walking down the street. He was African American at night in a nice area. If Zimmerman was such a good neighborhood watchman, he didn't know that there are African Americans in that community. I like the videos from the guys from Moss Pawn but I disagree with Eric & Barry(rip).

ethically and morally your right, but he dd not do that, so the laws change

Tool0GT92 There is no evidence that he DIDN'T stop following Martin when the dispatcher told him to. The media presented the situation as if Zimmerman had been in his car, was told not to get out, but did anyway, and that's how many people think it happened. But on the audio of the 911 call the dispatcher asks, "Are you following him?" Zimmerman replies, "Yes." The dispatcher then says, "We don't need you to do that." That first of all, wasn't an "order" it was advice given for Zimmerman's own safety. But Zimmerman answers "OK" when told that they don't need him to follow. He says he walked around a corner to try to find an address to give police, then headed back towards his car. The evidence supports that, because the altercation occurred back closer to his car, where Martin had doubled back to confront him.

And Martin walked back around to start a fight bc he wanted to show his ass off and sound bad for the girl he was on the phone with. Zimmerman did follow him but the only reason they interacted face to face was bc Martin chose to turn around and start a fight.

@@procrastinator6902 idiotic take

@@sicsempertyrannis7162 That was no "take" at all, it's what happened, idiot

Being approached isn't a threat to your life. And the evidence, based on where the fight occurred, showed that Martin doubled back around to confront Zimmerman. He didn't even have to run, if he'd have kept on walking this wouldn't have happened.

@@procrastinator6902 ever heard of fight or flight response

@@najahshikamaru620 Yeah, to an immediate threat. Martin literally went back to initiate a confrontation and got shot for his troubles. That's not fight or flight response, that's being a punk looking to initiate a confrontation. Which he had a history of doing.

@@procrastinator6902 being followed at night by a stranger isn't a immediate threat?

@@najahshikamaru620 It's a potential one but there was distance between them. Fight or flight occurs when immediate action against someone, or fleeing their presence are your only options. Martin was only in Zimmerman's immediate presence bc he decided to double back and initiate a fight. He clearly wasn't too worried since he didn't bother calling the cops himself, nor did he just run on home to get away.

Innocent until proven guilty that's our rule of law

***** Following someone isn't being aggressive. Smashing someone's head into the concrete is aggressive.

Not to mention he stopped following after the dispatcher told him "we dont need you do that".

Why would you go home if someone is stalking you???

100% as a gun owner you avoid any type of situation were it put in a spot to shoot someone I would have stay in the car call the police let them do there job

Had this conversation a week ago, also got called a racist, I'm first generation American, parents are Mexican. Zimmerman was definitely guilty of manslaughter, bad judgment call. that being said the kid chose to beat someone up that night. It was a tragic event, while being a preventable event, it HAPPENED! Kids need to know that it is not necessary to be shit hot at all times. RIP Martin :(

You never heard of Roderick Scott?

Fuck off with your racist bullshit.

+Satsui bashing his face in…as a result of being attacked by an armed man?

There was never any evidence that Zimmerman approached nor confronted Trayvon nor that he grabbed him. There was evidence of a one sided assault. Lets say that Trayvon thought he was defending himself from a perceived threat, logically you would have to conclude that Zimmerman was also defending himself from an actual threat since he as the victim of a violent assault.

How do you know what he knew? If Trayvon had a knife or firearm on him, Zimmerman would be dead. Is it OK to respond to a challenge by trying to beat someone up? A coward runs away. He should not have done what he did because he didn't have enough training, but there is nothing cowardly about standing up to someone you think is a criminal.

Jimmy81691 the question is why did he think he was a criminal? Cause he was black

Jimmy81691 "someone you "think" is a criminal" The word "think" kills your defense of this wacko, you better KNOW they're a criminal. Besides, standing up to someone regardless of being a criminal wasn't his job, it's for the police to decide, not a neighborhood watch Rambo who can't follow simple instructions from a police dispatcher. This psycho has proven his stupidity repeatedly since the trial which leads me as a common sense gun owner to not defend him simply because he owned a gun.

This is the dumbest thing I've heard in a long time."most teen boys will not just let a stranger challenge them" - as if spilling out testosterone and poor self control are normal things. According to you not even the police should have approached him. Was Zimmerman stupid by intervening when he should have waited for the police? Yes. Does this justify Martin's assault? No, it does not. This whole case is plagued by the race card, gun hate and a drive to portray neighborhood watch and indeed all persons concerned with community safety as tinfoil hat wearers. The fact that Martin was young doesn't help either. If this was a black man stabbing a black man to death or a white man stabbing a white man to death it wouldn't have ever made the news, it would have been just your run-off-the-mill anonymous murder of which there are countless instances. But hey, we live in America . . .

Patrick Takada Trayvon attacked zimmerman not the other way around how about actually reading the reports submitted in the court case instead of regurgitating what the media tells you.

No but they are trained to handle most situations and they saw no immediate threat or danger so why was there a real need to approach Martin? But your so blinded by bullcrap that you don't even realize there is a strong possibility that Zimmerman will kill again and maybe next time the victim won't be black.

samak12 It does not matter how "trained" they are. They lack the legal authority to issue police commands over a phone (or in person). PERIOD! Your emotions (and race baiting) are irrelevant.

Susan Wyse OK o get it 911 operators don't have the "authority" but why not stay on the car

samak12 Because in a civilized society we're free to NOT have to stay in our homes/cars... we're free to leave them without fears of being punched by wilding teenagers with persecution complex.

Susan Wyse We're also free to walk home and or mind our business also

yes

+Gerri Dandridge Trayvon could have ran away, Zimmerman could have left or quietly observed. Both are wrong for escalating the situation, however we will never get Trayvon's testimony. Would have been interesting if Trayvon DID have a firearm though, legal or otherwise. (I understand he did not at all.) The case would have been much different had Trayvon had the ability to protect himself, if Zimmerman was the aggressor.

+Gerri Dandridge again, IF he was the aggressor. I was not there and cannot say what happened.

Michael Bradshaw trayvon DID try running away! lol.damn!

Gerri Dandridge Calm down there man. Where are you getting your information? Maybe sharing that instead of getting all excited would help.

It was 7pm, that's not exactly late.

mmarsh1972 It was late enough for a unarmed juvenile to get shot by a wannabe cop. I grew up in the 80's. Even then when crime wasn't so bad kids were taught to be in the house before dark. It things like this is why our parents didn't want us out wandering the street. Trouble tends to happen more after dark.

LoveMyCountry24 I grew up in the 80s as well (graduated HS in '91), both my sister and I played a lot of school sports when I was Treyvvons age so Getting back from practice/games at 6-7pm was commonplace (sometimes later if it was an away game). A year later I was working after school and would finish at midnight when the store closed. So I just can't agree with you.

mmarsh1972 Hey that's fine if you disagree with me. Send your kids out after dark if you want, that's up to you.

@@LoveMyCountry24 7 is hardly after dark lol especially depending on the time of year

Did you miss that part? 4:40 It is still no different than Martin choosing to turn and fight instead of walking away. Both were wrong. Martin just finally started shit with someone he shouldn't have. End of story. His blood is on his own hands.

Hans S. Hardly, if walking home without being stalked by some wannabe tough guy is too much to ask, then we all are in a world of hurt. He has shown beyond any doubt his mentality. And despite that you still think he was justified in his actions? I'm not really surprised. I just wonder if you'd still be such a staunch supporter if the kid he murders was not black? Only you know your heart, so let's just keep that one to yourself. I wonder if he would have been given over 300K in donations if the kid he murdered was not black? I guess we will never know?

bbigrocker1 You want to judge the incident based on the future behavior of Zimmerman, which pales in comparison to the prior behavior of Martin. The kid got in a fistfight the very day of the incident. Not to mention being expelled for fighting, numerous times. Never, in all the court proceedings and witness accounts, was any evidence shown that Zimmerman was the aggressor. There is plenty that shows Martin was. Should he have followed him? Maybe not, but it does not excuse Martins actions. He initiated the violence. Period. Everything you mention about race is complete hypocrisy. Yes, I would absolutely support Zimmerman if Martin had been white. The only difference is, that neither of us would have even heard about it. Statistically, blacks kill whites far more than the other way around. Where are the news stories? The court TV coverage? The CNN specials? This whole ordeal has been a race baiting scheme to keep foolish people divided. The real question is, if Martin had been white, would you, or any of these news organizations, give one flying shit about this incident? You can keep that one to yourself.

Hans S. The kid got in a fistfight the very day of the incident . Not to mention being expelled for fighting, numerous times. Should he have followed him? Maybe not, Yes, I would absolutely support Zimmerman if Martin had been white Yes, I would absolutely support Zimmerman if Martin had been white didn't see anything about Martin with a weapon, Didn't see anything about Zimmermans past? WHY? Statistically, someone like you will NEVER put the FACTS on the table, just like you didn't here. You're full of it, and the truth of the matter never occurred to you. All you saw was a black pest being exterminated and that was fine by you. I rest my case based on your nonsense.

bbigrocker1 DENIAL So you just copy and paste everything I say and reply to nothing? That's a very intelligent argument you got there. You can continue to revert to hateful racial angles but it only makes your argument sound more pathetic. It's the only angle you have. Forget the evidence, forget common sense, he was black. Zimmerman was not. That's it. Case closed. Where are you "putting the facts on the table"? What facts have you argued other than Martin was a black man? You don't ant to discuss facts because the facts are why Zimmerman walked. Martin was a out of control teen (man) full of rage and a violent past. The jury saw him for what he really was, not the 9 year old little angel CNN advertised him to be.

So you think that he morally wasnt allowed to defend himself? Was he supposed to lay there and allow Trayvon to beat him into a coma? Would you? How does that work in the real world?

Legally he was in the right. But it's irresponsible as a citizen and especially as a gun owner and 2nd amendment advocate to harass others and provoke a violent confrontation. He had been told to back down repeatedly by the police and had no business harassing Martin at his place of residence. It wasn't morally correct of him to pick a fight in the first place, much less with a teenager.

TheoneandonlyCrowMan , he was never told to "back down" once let alone repeatedly, he was asked to stop following which he did, there was no "harassment" on Zimmerman's part. Martin did not live there and was acting suspicious which is why Zimmerman called the police in the first place. Had Trayvon not violently assaulted him none of this would have happened. Not sure how you define harassment and picking a fight but based on the evidence of the trial none of that even happened, its not as if he chased Trayvon and cornered him nor grabbed him or got in his way. We know from the testimony of Rachel that Trayvon ran to Brandi's home some 100 yards down the path and then Martin inexplicably went back the 100 yards to violently confront Zimmerman who was at the T about 20-30 yards from his vehicle.

***** ,we know from the trial that he stopped following, we also know that Trayvon ran home and came back, he also assaulted Zimmerman. So your claims have zero evidence.

***** , well had you actually followed the trial you would know that Zimmerman had stopped following, This is a fact that you and other ignore. Had Trayvon not gone back up the path and assaulted Zimmerman this would never have happened. Dont rely on misinformed people to tell you that assault is morally ok.

yep...

insomthegreat How so? I wouldn’t say in any way he was a coward. I would say he should not have been pursuing the kid. Zimmerman should not have put himself in that situation. I suspect that the attacker wasn’t as innocent as he is portrayed.

@@jimziemer474 The guy who signs skittles is less than a coward.

No i think the person who shoot an unarmed teenager goofed

Your brain goofed

No, Zimmmermen was attacked, punched in the face, and T. Martin tried to take the gun from the gun owner.

franpan89 if YOUR statement of "facts" was correct, Zimmerman would have been convicted, also Martin had a significant history of getting into trouble--also the young woman who was on the phone with Martin helped establish Zimmerman's innocence

+franpan89 This is what liberal cucks actually believe.

Lighten up “Fran”cis... the white guilt coming off you is stinkin up tha joint. With stink lines!

David Carson and zimmerman has history of violence. He’s beat his girlfriends many times.

@Tyrannus Okay mister Waffen SS Sturmtruppen. We totally trust what you have to say...

kids should stay in bed at night. If you go and search for trouble. You will eventually find it.

240pixel He wasn't searching for trouble he was searching for a store!

devindooo you know that because? you were with him?

Problem is, bro, Zimmerman did not legally "stalk" Trayvon. And there's no evidence to suggest that -- Zimmerman said he went to see what direction Trayvon went (which is not illegal), and even though the 911 operator said he didn't have to do that, an operator cannot tell you what to do. If he told the truth and all he did was go to see what direction Trayvon went, and Trayvon attacked him, it's all very unfortunate but Trayvon acted illegally. In addition, the 911 call was 51 seconds of Zimmerman screaming for help before the gun went off. That means 51 seconds + time for someone to hear screams and call 911 before Zimmerman shot Trayvon, who was on top of him. I don't put Trayvon in an evil light, but he may have acted foolishly and immaturely by attacking someone like that. You can't physically attack someone these days -- and if he was hiding in a bush before attacking Zimmerman like Zimmerman stated (and there's no evidence to refute it), then he basically attacked someone without provocation.

veggie530 Sooo, you're telling me he wasn't following Trayvon but looked from a distance to see what direction he went in. That would make it physically impossible for Trayvon and Zimmerman to get into a physical altercation if he was at such a distance where he wasn't stalking him. Two why would Trayvon tell his girlfriend that there's some creepy guy following him if Zimmerman was so far away! I'm pretty sure its would be easy to stay unseen at night time, in the south, (been to the south plenty of times and unless there's a string of lights it is darn there impossible to see things at a distance). Even if there was a string of lights, the dark spaces in between each light dissipate the light so much that its like walking from a well lit room into a dark room! In Florida, stalking is, "A person who willfully, maliciously, and repeatedly follows, harasses, or cyberstalks another person commits the offense of stalking, a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083." So that means, if Zimmerman went looking for him, unless he peaked his head out once to look in a general direction and turned around a got back into his car, he stalked Trayvon! In rough order, Zimmerman saw Trayvon (first sighting and targeting), watched what direction he was going in (following him), called the 911 operator and when told to stay in the car, went looking for him(still following him)! Also his intentions were to detain and or stop Trayvon from committing any "Crimes." Stalking at its finest, or a mini manhunt! Lets take it down to a emotional level. How would you feel if you noticed some guy following you in the dead of night? Just because Trayvon was kicking Zimmerman's ass doesn't mean that he was the aggressor. Fights can go any way, who's to say that Trayvon got the upper hand and exercised his self defense rights! Of course Zimmerman is going to say he was attacked first, who wants to go to jail!?! Eliminating the defending party is a great way to get your story across without having sufficient resistance to test the authenticity of your story!

You are 100% correct sir.

+Ant Nax sense*

+Tyrannosaurus he walked up to a kid with a loaded pistol, might have even had it drawn.. i would fight for my life too..

Janey Neal You clearly don't know the facts of the case, that's not at all what happened. Don't lie through your fucking teeth and try to convince people he had his gun drawn. For shame.

Huedoo.. couldn't of said it better myself! Agreed!

He put himself in what situation? Many people don't wait for 911. 911 takes a while and he felt the kid was a threat. He was trying to break into houses. You guys are just so sheepish and uninformed it's sad

***** Wrong. Security officers etc., are to "observe and report". He pushed too far(his gun gave him false courage I bet) and got himself into some shit he couldn't handle. He has since proved he is a fuck up.

@@Mider999 yes he put him self in that situation. And do your research he wasn’t breakin into no damn houses