I write this prior to knowing the outcome of the George Zimmerman trial, because for me, the outcome is immaterial. Why? Because it isn’t Zimmerman who’s on trial in Sanford, FL. It’s us, all of us, and the culture reflected in what we believe and how we act on those beliefs.
The Trayvon Martin case is an indictment of an American gun culture steeped in a vigilante ethos made manifest in “stand your ground laws,” infected with a paranoia so severe that Second Amendment fanatics would rather see guns in the hands of the mentally ill, criminals, and terrorists than accede to universal background checks, and tolerated by a US Congress more interested in their reelection prospects than in the safety of their constituents.
Finally, this case is an indictment of all of us who fail to act to overcome the influence and intransigence of the NRA and the cowardice of Congress. If we do nothing to prevent the shooting death of another child, another adult, another human being, then we will all be found guilty.
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