the number of posts saying "this in no way is a defense of Zimmerman" is astounding

[RevStPatrick]

190. Ah yes, there's that line I love so much...

"...emotionally driven irrational fear of guns."

And people wonder why other people call some people "gun nuts."

A kid was walking down the street in the rain, and was killed by a gun owned by a whacko.
He was someone's son, friend, cousin, neighbor.
And a whacko with a gun snuffed out his young life for no fucking reason whatsoever.
That wouldn't have happened if the whacko didn't have a gun.
Guar-an-fucking-teed.

And we have an "emotionally driven irrational fear of guns?"
When your kid can't walk down the street without the possibility of this sort of thing happening?
And it happens too often. Once is too often.

What's irrational about wanting your kid to be able to go to the store without worrying that this sort of thing? "...emotionally driven irrational fear of guns." Yeah, right, it's the propagandists fault that I don't want my kid killed by some whacko with a gun.

You see, this is the kind of attitude that the OP was talking about.
It's some people's "emotionally driven irrational fear of guns" that is the problem, not that fact that there are whackos walking around with guns looking to use them.
Blame the victim.

Sheesh...