Sunday, July 14, 2013

Zimmerman’s Acquittal: Don’t Get Mad – Get Energized!

Even though the outcome of George Zimmerman’s trial may have driven a blow to your heart reminiscent of the shot that ended Trayvon Martin’s life… don’t get mad – get energized!

Why?

NRA-sponsored stand your ground and concealed weapon laws opened the door for George Zimmerman’s defense attorneys to, legally and unapologetically, racially profile and prosecute Trayvon Martin for his own death!

WE must do everything in our power to remove stand your ground laws in 16 states!

How?
  1. Search the web for NRA contact links.  Share the links on your social networks. Let NRA leaders know what you think about their sponsored stand your ground and concealed weapon tactics. (Keyword samples - NRA, contact NRA )
  2. Call, email, text, tweet, Facebook Tea Partied governors and legislators who sponsored and/or voted for stand your ground laws. (State directory links provided below.)
  3. Call, email, text, tweet, Facebook Tea Partied House and US Senate lawmakers who sponsored and/or voted for concealed weapon legislation in Congress.(Congressional directory links provided  below.)
  4. Participate in peaceful demonstrations particularly in states where stand your ground is law.
  5. Vote out all congressional lawmakers, governors and state legislators who proposed and or passed stand your ground and/or concealed weapon legislation. (March, 2012 Trayvon Martin, The Tip of the Iceberg post is provided below as a reference.)

STATES WITH STAND YOUR GROUND LAWS
Alabama
Arizona
Florida
Georgia
Indiana
Kentucky
Louisiana
Mississippi
Montana
Nevada
New Hampshire
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
Tennessee
Texas
Utah

FYI
If you followed spindetective posts from as far back as 2010, you will notice that any topics related to increased legislative attacks executed by Tea Partied congressional, gubernatorial and/or state legislative actions - including but not limited to - stand your ground legislation, concealed weapon legislation, voting rights restrictions, women’s reproductive rights restrictions, women's cancer screening restrictions, affordable health care restrictions, job opportunity restrictions, elementary, secondary, college education restrictions, infant/child nutritional program restrictions are all directly linked to Tea Partied wins in the 2010 Midterm Elections where WE had low voter turnout!


WE GOTTA VOTE 
in record numbers
2014 Midterm Elections!



CONGRESSIONAL AND STATE CONTACT LINKS

Contacting the Congress is a very up-to-date citizen's congressional directory for the 113th Congress. As of ...

Use this free tool to find the email address, phone number and contact information for your Congressman, including Senators and Representatives. http://www.congressmerge.com/onlinedb
Bilingual options

www.usa.gov › Contact Your Government

www.ncsl.org › ... › NCSL Services

SOURCES
criminal.findlaw.com › Criminal Law › Criminal Law Basics

Trayvon Martin: The Tip of the Iceberg
Twisted Notions
Posted March  23, 2012

The anguish of Trayvon Martin’s  parents along with the international outcry against the brutal, senseless circumstances surrounding his death are rightfully focused on Florida’s  ‘Stand Your Ground” law.  A report by the California Research Bureau, California State Library entitled “Concealed Handgun Laws and Public Safety” reported that “between 1987 and 1994, the violent crime rate in Florida increased  11.7 percent. According to the FBI Uniform Crime Report, Florida, also, had the highest violent crime rate of any other state in the nation.”     Sadly, the circumstances surrounding Trayvon’s death are only the tip of the iceberg. 

The National Rifle Association (NRA) is a major player in the passage of irresponsible gun carry laws in many states as well as in Congress.  An article at chicagotribune.com points out the NRA’s influence on the legislative process: “when law enforcement has to be neutral in the discussion of public policy so they (NRA) have a seat negotiating (gun) legislation, clearly something is wrong with the equation.” Another article entitled “NRA Money Influences Police on Concealed-Weapons Prop” points out how the NRA buys gun carry legislation.  “Even though “70%” of St. Louis police officers polled were “against a right to carry proposition”, a spokesperson for the Missourians Against Crime who supported it,  stated that “her organization has most certainly been a beneficiary of NRA money, both from the national office and the 103,000 individual NRA members living in Missouri.”  A motherjones.com article entitled “In Re Trayvon Martin: How the NRA Pushed the Right to Pack Heat Anywhere” quotes statistics reported by the  Legal Community Against Violence - “in just three years, 22 states have weakened or eliminated laws restricting the possession of concealed weapons.” The article further states “these measures are easing eligibility and testing requirements for obtaining a permit, opening up public places to concealed weapons, and expanding legal protections for those who put their guns to use.” 


Republican state legislators appear to be in a ‘lethal weapon’  contest to see which state can out-legislate the others regarding reckless gun carry laws.  A Washington Post article states “backed by the National Rifle Association , first in Florida and then around the country, state legislators have pushed for expanding the right to use deadly force. Twenty-one states now have laws giving citizens wide latitude to use deadly force without first attempting to retreat.”According to an article in usnews.com entitled “Open Carry Gun Laws Turn the Country Back into the Wild West”, Republican  majority state legislators have passed laws to “brazenly carry firearms into restaurants, bars, schools and churches”. Wisconsin Republican legislators passed a concealed carry law which “allows weapons on parts of college campuses and  churches”.  Ohio Republican legislators passed a law “allowing permit holders to bring hidden, loaded  handguns into restaurants that serve alcohol”.  According to an npr.org article, Michigan Republican legislators passed a bill that “would not eliminate ‘no carry’  zones such as schools, stadiums and churches.”  You would think that the tragic shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords killing six people would caution Arizona Republican legislators to pass the strict gun carry laws, but they passed a law that “allows its citizens to carry concealed weapons without ANY permit.”



Republican House majority members  introduced many  NRA-sponsored bills to expand gun carry laws.  According to a gunowners.org report entitled “Firearms Legislation in the 112th Congress”, Representatives Boren and Scalise  sponsored a bill to “extend interstate” gun purchasing powers. Representatives Jackson and Lee sponsored legislation “making it difficult to LEGALLY TEACH your kids the safe and effective use of firearms”. Representatives Lummis, Donnelly, Rehberg, Broun, Miller, Carter, King of Iowa, Ross, and Bishop sponsored a bill to “allow curios and relics to be imported into the U.S. without the approval of the Department of State or the Department of Defense”. Representatives Ross and Jordan sponsored a bill to “repeal  D.C. gun ban laws”;  Representatives Broun, Boren, Ross, Altmire, Metheson, Bishop, Rehberg, Jenkins, and Miller sponsored a bill to “prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from imposing restrictions on hunting and fishing equipment including firearms”;  Representative Gibbs “and 21 others” sponsored a bill to “prohibit the Army Corps of Engineers from banning firearms on water resources lands”; Representative Paul sponsored a bill to “repeal the Kohl Amendment, which banned guns within 1,000 feet of a permanent or temporary location of a school”; Representatives Tester, Ensign, Begich, Baucus, Burr, Chambliss, Inhofe, Paul, Barrasso, and Coburn sponsored a bill to “permanently prohibit the ATF from being able to require the reporting of multiple sales of rifles and shotguns”.  

Spread the Word!


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