From this photo of Zimmerman, is it credible that he was defending himself against Trayvon Martin?

[spin]

91. Yes. Considering your background. ...

I have a far different viewpoint largely because of my background.

I have been target shooting handguns since 1970 and I live in Florida which has issued more concealed carry permits than any other state since "shall issue" passed in 1987. Florida has an unusually strong gun culture and firearm ownership is very common.

Before I retired I worked for a company that manufactured highly technical products and consequently most of my co-workers had either college educations or technical school backgrounds. I would estimate that 80% or more of my co-workers had a firearm in their house and 5 to 10% had concealed weapons permits. After work or on the weekends I often would go to the range with my co-workers to target shoot handguns.

You probably have encountered few people who you realize have carry permits as often those who do avoid telling casual acquaintances. You may well live in an urban area in a gun unfriendly state where a carry license is difficult to obtain and expensive.

Consequently you may have formed an opinion about those who do have carry permits based on movies and the media. You might be surprised how responsible and law abiding such people are. If Zimmerman is indeed guilty of pursuing, confronting and murdering Martin then he is an extreme aberration and not at all representative of 99.9% of those who legally carry. We realize that we are not cops and we don't play vigilantes.

Often we are accused of being cowards. I have a background in the martial arts, largely Jujutsu which is not a competitive sport like Judo. I was trained in dirty but very effective street fighting techniques to enable effective self defense against a person who has the intention of seriously injuring or killing his victim. Much time in the class was spent on how to disarm a person armed with a knife or a gun as frequently attackers are. Consequently I know how difficult these tactics can be.

Your chances of disarming an experienced knife fighter without suffering serious cuts are slim at best. The odds are much higher with an inexperienced person with a knife but still you probably will get cut.

If an attacker is armed with a handgun is foolish enough to stand within arm's reach, you have a fair chance of disarming him. If he is at 10 to 15 feet your odds of disarming him drop dramatically to perhaps 50% at the most.

Of course you never try to defend yourself unless absolutely necessary. If I am on the street and my situational awareness fails me and I find myself confronted by a individual who asks me to give him my wallet I will first appraise him. If he seems rational I will simply give him my wallet as I can replace my money, my ID and my credit cards far easier than I can replace my health or my life. But if I seriously believe he intends to put me in the hospital or six feet under no matter what I do, I will attempt to defend myself as I have nothing to loose.

Our environments and backgrounds differ considerably. I can understand why you formed your opinion and even though I have tried, I doubt if I can change it. That's fine. I have formed opinions on many subjects over the years and often they have been totally wrong. Perhaps you have a more realistic view of those who legally carry weapons than I do but I doubt it.

In passing I am not a person who recommends that everyone should run out and buy a gun for self defense or get a carry permit. Firearms are EXTREMELY dangerous and are definitely not for everybody.