George Zimmerman went on trial this week in the Trayvon Martin case in Florida.
I don't have an opinion about his guilt or innocence but I do wonder what prompted him to get out of his car that night. You'll remember he called police, reported a suspicious individual, and was advised, "We don't need you to do that," when he told a dispatcher he would follow Martin on foot.
I wonder if he would have been so bold had he not been carrying a pistol.
I bring the subject up because I've heard a couple of opinions expressed by people who say they intend to apply for concealed weapons permits, if the law allowing them to do so ever gets passed in Illinois.
Their feeling was that Zimmerman did absolutely nothing wrong. He was Neighborhood Watch. He had a gun permit. He was suspicious of Martin. He had the right to check him out "as any Watch member would."
I kept my mouth shut, but they were mistaken on a couple of major points. One, the Neighborhood Watch program policy encourages only the observation and reporting of suspicious circumstances. It prohibits taking action. Two, a concealed weapons permit doesn't grant an individual police powers any more than a drivers' license gives the right to race on the track at Indy.
I think more than a few folks don't understand those limitations. They're like my former shooting range buddy who talked wistfully about packing heat at malls and movie theaters, "just in case there's a guy who goes berserk and I have to step up and save everybody!"
In my opinion, that's a dangerous way to think.
A concealed weapons permit allows the carrying of a handgun for self defense in the most extreme and life-threatening circumstances.
It's not a badge. It doesn't come with a cape, or place a red "S" on the chest.
A fact I suspect George Zimmerman may now sadly realize.
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