By Joseph Haynes Davis
(via thegrio.com) – The legal/legislative issue of gun control continues to be a hotly debated topic for black Americans and will always be an important issue for all of America.
The subject matter is constantly in the media, with each report lending its own social and political spin. Most opinions produced or written in the African-American press argue for increased gun control.
The common jurisdictional component in all cases is the state of Florida. Those cases include the State of Florida v. George Zimmerman, also known as the Trayvon Martin case, State of Florida v. Marissa Alexander, with the most recent one being the State of Florida v. Michael David Dunn, in which the victim is Jordan Russell Davis.
Also at issue is Florida Statute 776.013 commonly referred to as the “Stand Your Ground” law. The statute is a defense strategy and option afforded to defendants in certain criminal proceedings when the accused defendants are charged criminally when using firearms that they otherwise allegedly are legally permitted to carry and possess.
Let me state at the outset that the families of the deceased victims in these cases, Trayvon Martin and Jordan Russell Davis, have my condolences. Reading news reports of how these young black, American males lost their life makes me angry. I am a black American, a male, and a resident of the State of Florida, living in Orlando.
I supported Barack Obama’s run for president in 2008 and 2012 and was part of the Obama legal team for poll watching on Election Day in 2008 and for early voting in 2012, trying to insure no voting irregularities occurred on my watch.
And, while performing my sworn duties as a poll watcher, I had legally and properly concealed a Ruger SP 101 .357 Magnum with 5 rounds of hollow points in my Honda Element along with a Beretta Cheetah .380 semi-automatic with 13 rounds of hollow points for protection, just in case I needed to defend myself from any criminal tyranny, bigoted or otherwise.
I make no apologies for my zeal and advocacy for a strong 2nd Amendment. I’m equally as zealous concerning 9th Amendment privacy issues, freedoms for women giving them the right to control their bodies, contraception, and which affords same-sex couples privacy rights along with the equal protections contained in the 14th Amendment.
I know I can be presumed a threat or suspicious person because of my skin color and gender. After all, I am a black-American male, well educated earning my B.S. at Illinois State University, an M.S.W. from the University of Pennsylvania and also attended Rutgers Law School-Camden. I understand the history of bigotry in America, but refuse to let it hold me back in any way, and I run own my own businesses.
Yet, I am still considered a target. In fact, no matter how old you become, being a black American male, walking outside in the environment, is always rife with inherent risks.
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