A segment of society is up in arms over the death of a teenager in Florida. A militant group has put a $10,000 bounty on the head of a man who is not charged with a crime, "dead or alive." Journalists are asking why the case has not already resulted in legislation sponsored to overturn the rights of American Citizens to not run from criminals. People are marching in protest, over this particular death and politicians are claiming this case is the reason why Citizens should not be allowed to embrace their 2nd Amendment Rights. Cries of "Racism" emanate from partisan quarters.
What makes this death different? Well, for one, the picture of the deceased is 5 years old. It was carefully selected to portray Treyvon Martin as an innocent boy. A 12 year old football player looks far more innocent than a 17 year old flipping off the camera.
Is this case worse than the case of a Marine shot to death in front of his daughters, by an Orange County Deputy? Where was the outrage of a America then? It didn't fit the political agenda of the media, nor politicians. Is Zimmerman innocent in this case? I don't know, but I do know that the case is not what is portrayed in most of the MSM. One witness has described an attack on Zimmerman, followed by a gunshot, after which she describes the attacker as being the one left lying in the grass.
If one believes the storyline told by the outraged, Treyvon Martin was simply walking down the street with a bag of skittles and a cell phone when he was murdered. In such a case, the "Stand Your Ground" law would not apply. But if the facts were that the Neighbor Watch member had asked the "suspicious acting" victim what his business in the neighborhood was and then attempted to return to his vehicle when attacked, it might apply. The police annotated grass stains and injuries on Zimmerman.
Is it a case representative of the norm? No, not at all. Most deaths in America do not involve a member of the Neighborhood Watch, nor a 6-2 17 year old walking down the sidewalk, while suspended from school and "grounded." But with a picture of a 12 year old, and a law that has re-iterated the 2nd Amendment, it does make for a nice emotional case. Let's begin with the 2nd Amendment:
"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." US Constitution, Bill of Rights, 2nd Amendment.
Now, some have argued that this pertains only to the "militia" or National Guard, but that is not what the Founders wrote. They wrote and ratified "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall NOT be infringed." They didn't write "the right of the people who join the militia."
The partisans fanning the flames of this emotional situation don't care about Treyvon Martin, nor do they care about the facts, nor do they care about the truth. What they do care about is attempting to convince the American People that the right to bear arms be curtailed. Some of them don't even care about that, but rather getting their own mug plastered on TV Sets across America, because that means money donated to their wallets.
So, let's look at the facts. Crime has fallen since Florida instituted the "Stand Your Ground" law.
Firearms involved
.0013427 (2010) .0015174 (2003) (Rate down)
Armed Robbery
.0005916 (2010) .0007198 (2003) (Rate down)
Robbery
.0013890 (2010) .0018459 (2003) (Rate down
Forcible Sex
.0005266 (2010) .0007472 (2003) (Rate down)
Murder
.0000526 (2010) .0000541 (2003) (Rate down)
Total crimes involving a firearm is down 700 from 2003 to 2010, from 25,904 to 25,204 while population is up from 17,071,508 to 18,771,768.
Forcible Sex Offenses is down to 9885 in 2010 from 12,756 in 2003.
Source: State of Florida Crime Statistics, from link provided in earlier comments. The Population of Florida has grown by 1.7 Million between 2003 and 2010.
FBI Statistics do not use the same metrics. They are not inclusive of all of America, accounting for only 2/3rd's of the population of the Nation, and 1/2 of the Florida population, but when that is accounted for, we can compare/contrast the statistics of cities were gun laws are prohibitive versus Florida where Citizen Rights are strong.
The FBI reports that Sanford, FL had 52,325 residents in 2010, with 356 violent crimes, including 3 homicides/non-negligent manslaughter, 38 forcible rapes, and 3,367 property crimes.
Contrast: Chicago, with a population of 2,833,649 in 2010 had 432 murders and non-negligent homicides, FBI statistics with the state of Florida. The population of Chicago is 15% of the size of the population of Florida. Chicago has some of the least gun-friendly laws in the nation.
Comparatively, the Chicago rate would be 1,388 murders/non-negligent homicides, based on the populations and numbers reported by the FBI. (Florida population reported by cities 9,106,904, with 542 reported murders/non-negligent manslaughter in the same report.)
Interestingly, the FBI does not report the number of forcible rapes in Chicago, because Chicago does not conform to their reporting standards.
Washington DC, with a reported population of 601,723 and another city of strict anti-gun laws had 132 murders/non-negligent manslaughter in 2010. With (FBI reported) population of 6.6% of Florida, this is the equivalent of 1,998 murders/non-negligent manslaughter cases.
Some might say it is unfair to compare a city to a state, so let's compare Jacksonville, FL with Washington DC. Jacksonsville has 822,414 residents (220,000 more) and had only 80 murders/NNM's or 52 fewer with 220,000 more residents.
Source: FBI Crime Statistics