Clinton Invokes Trayvon Martin at Florida Rally to Push Gun Control

This week, at a rally in Sanford, Florida, Hillary Clinton invoked the shooting death of Trayvon Martin to buttress her argument that tougher gun laws are necessary to address the “epidemic of gun violence” in America.

“When I think about keeping Americans safe, obviously I think about terrorism,” Clinton said. “But I also want to protect Americans from the epidemic of gun violence that is stalking our country.”

“I cannot come to Sanford without talking about Trayvon Martin,” she added. “It’s heartbreaking that this young man all he did was go to a cornerstone, bought a pack of Skittles and walked back home in the rain. And his life was cut short.”

Martin, 17, was shot and killed by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman on Feb. 26, 2012 in Sanford. Although Zimmerman was acquitted of second-degree murder by a jury of his peers, the case ignited a national firestorm over race relations (the media falsely reported that Zimmerman was racist and white, even though he is a mixed-race Hispanic man) and Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law, which allows one to use force, including deadly force, in any place one has a lawful right to be if one reasonably fears death or great bodily harm.

Based on the facts of the case, there was little doubt that Zimmerman acted within the purview of the law the night he shot Martin. The 17-year-old was allegedly on top of Zimmerman, punching his head into the ground when Zimmerman drew his weapon and fired, killing Martin.

Clinton’s false narrative that Martin just bought a pack of Skittles and was gunned down by a vigilante for no other reason is gravely misleading. One can argue that Zimmerman may have been overzealous in his willingness to follow and confront Martin, but once the confrontation turned physical (apparently Martin was the aggressor) and Zimmerman reasonably feared for his life, he had the right to defend it — and that is what the jury concluded when it found him not guilty. It should also be noted that both the DOJ and FBI investigated the incident. Neither agency found sufficient evidence to indict Zimmerman on charges related to the shooting.

Yet, it appears Clinton ignores the facts of the case and the criminal actions of Martin. For her, the shooting death of Martin is a rallying cry for rolling back the rights of law-abiding gun owners.

“Thirty-three thousand people a year die from guns and we’ve got to do a better job, my friends,” she said, not bothering to explicate that two-thirds of them are suicides and one-third are homicides.

“You see, I believe we have a fundamental human — even a moral obligation — to protect our children no matter who they are or what zip code they live in,” Clinton continued. “We have a moral obligation to reduce gun violence and that will require us to stand up against systemic racism and promote justice and equality and criminal justice reform.”

Nothing in the Zimmerman case suggested that he was motivated by racism on the night of the shooting. Nothing. The media injected racism into the case, specifically NBC, which creatively edited Zimmerman’s 911-call to the dispatcher to make him appear racist. Once again, Clinton is propagating a false narrative.

“Something is wrong when young people, just starting their lives are dying. Something is wrong when so many parents live in fear that their child will be hurt or killed going to the movies, sitting in a first grade classroom, attending a Bible study, the list goes on,” said Clinton.

“This has nothing to do with the Second Amendment and responsible gun owners,” Clinton said, as if her “solutions” to combat violence — bans on black rifles, magazines holding more than 10 rounds, etc. — won’t impact those of us who exercise our right to keep and bear arms.

What Clinton clearly doesn’t understand is that making legal firearms illegal is infringement. It’s unconstitutional to ban firearms and accessories in common use.

“There is no conflict, no conflict between the Second Amendment and common sense gun safety measures. I am willing with your help and the help of responsible gun owners to stand up to the gun lobby and bring about changes to saves lives,” Clinton said.

Clinton wants us to turn on the NRA, the very group that’s leading the charge to preserve the Second Amendment and our fundamental right to self-defense.  She wants us to willingly give up our firearms and embrace the revocation of laws that protect those who use reasonable force to stop an attacker.  Why?  Because like all anti-gunners, she believes that you are more safe when you are less free to defend yourself.  If that sounds crazy, that’s because it is crazy.