Zimmerman might never have carried a gun that fateful evening if our justice system wasn't so ineffective at removing criminals from our streets. When I was young, violent people were in jail or were afraid enough of getting caught that they didn't commit the crimes in the first place. Now, everyone gets probation, or insignificant jail time, or early release due to overcrowding of the prisons, or have their charges dropped entirely. Now criminals don't appear to be afraid of getting caught.
All this has led to law-abiding people feeling the need to protect themselves and their neighborhoods. I don't think Zimmerman is a bad guy, just a guy who was trying to protect his neighborhood, and made some poor decisions in that effort. Why are we not all outraged that so many criminals run the streets? Maybe Trayvon would be alive today if we weren't all so concerned about our safety that we feel we have to rely on ourselves for protection.
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