As someone noted above, the Florida "stand your ground" law may mean it is not possible to bring criminal prosecution against Zimmerman, but like someone else said, I think it likely the Feds will step in, and like yet some else said, there will likely be grounds for a civil lawsuit.

None of which will bring this young boy back to life.

I don't question that Zimmerman perceived himself and his neighborhood to be threatened. Unfortunately, laws such as Florida's "stand your ground" laws do not hold people accountable for how realistic or reasonable their perceptions may be. I hope a way is found for Zimmerman to be held socially accountable.

Doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand that racism is at work here, both individual and institutional. I suggest that all of us are racist or tribalist to a greater or lesser degree. We are each accountable, however, for understanding that about ourselves. We are each capable, and therefore accountable, for recognizing the human propensity for stereotyping and to take that into account as we examine our own internal processes. We are each capable, and therefore accountable, for examining our internal processes, assumptions and cognitive distortions.

There are people here I really respect who are insistent on the right to bear arms. I understand we psychologically built differently.   While I share many values with some of these people. I do not see, however, how rampant gun ownership and personal "rights" around bearing arms, especially concealed weapons, trumps the greater safety to our modern society to reducing the number the number of guns in the hands of private citizens. You may feel safer knowing you have a pistol in your belt, glovebox or bedside table. I don't feel safer for you having that gun.

In my 60 years of life I have been mugged once, robbed at gunpoint once on a city street, experienced a home invasion, had people attempt to break-in three times while I was at home, experienced one break-in that included an attempted sexual assualt, and had a crazy boyfriend drive through three counties with a rifle pointed at my head in the front seat of a Ford F250. For a few brief years while living in the country I owned a .22 rifle. I shot one groundhog ravaging my garden with it, and one deer just to see if I was capable of killing another animal for meat. Regarding groundhogs, I discovered box traps. I have not needed, in my life, to kill game to eat. I know that I can if I have to. I also know that meat doesn't appeal so much when I take the life, or participate in the skinning, gutting and butchering of life - whether I shoot the game, or catch it in a box trap and kill it by other means. I especially know that in terms of personal safety, personal possession of a gun would have been of little value in any of the human agressor situations I have dealt with,and quite likely would have increased the danger of the situation. I can certainly conceive of a situation where me having gun could save either my own life or the lives of others. But my own assessment is that when I balance the risks to myself vs. the documented risks to the society in which I live, I am better off without a gun, and even more importantly, my society is better off and safer without rampant gun ownership in the 20th and 21st century.