Quote Originally Posted by Greenbeanz View Post
You can not compare the USA and the UK. The general population here have no desire to own firearms. We are not afraid of "freedom" and it is a fact that because of their general unavailability fewer criminals are armed. The US have a long history and different culture in which Gun ownership is deeply enshrined. This is partly why the Zimmerman/Martin case is seen very differently by both countries. It is not the case that all Brits want to oversimplify and misrepresent it as a race issue, it is seen as both a busybody/vigilante sticking his nose in and then using disproportionate force. Most are happy to leave law enforcement to the Police here and pulling out a gun in a fist fight/brawl is seen as bad form and cowardly even amongst scallys.
If we can't compare them then why is there a constant push to get the US to be more like the UK? Also it should be pointed out that Democrats are always moving to make the US more like Europe in general. Higher taxes, more welfare, etc. Granted these are RHETORICAL questions from me about Liberal Democrats in the US.

As far as gun ownership goes all it takes to understand the differences in cultures is to look and see how the countries and governments were founded and WHEN they were founded. England and all the old school European nations were well established before the gun was even invented and they've seen the gun add to anarchy rather than peace which is the complete opposite of America. In America settlers were on their own, they had little protection in terms of law enforcement and as they worked their way west that was more and more the norm. The protection for those settlers was in their own hands, not in the numbers of a group, not in the confines of a city, but in the wilderness by themselves with GUNS. Guns for hunting, guns for protection...guns were the sole reason they could raise livestock, you can't fend off wolves, coyotes, mountain lions, rustlers, etc with a knife. Guns were used to fend off attacks from Indians, outlaws, any kind of unwanted pests or criminals. If you were a settler you depended on your gun and the importance of firearms has not diminished at all to the people of America. We still hunt, we still farm, we still protect ourselves. That self reliance is something to be cherished and not frowned upon.

The Zimmerman/Martin case is SIMPLY explained. Both parties were in the wrong, but not to a criminal extent. Zimmerman was overzealous in trailing Martin, but had the Police done their fucking due diligence perhaps this situation could have been avoided. If there are constant robberies and break ins then park your fat doughnut eating lard asses in that neighborhood and catch someone or at least be a nuisance to crime with your presence. As for Martin, it is not a logical or rational act to sucker punch someone who is following you. A vocal or verbal confrontation is understandable, but a physical altercation is not the A#1 thing you do. A simple "Hey, are you following me?" would have likely ended the matter quickly and peacefully. I don't get in street fights or have many violent confrontations simply because I have tact, I never act with force from the get go and it strikes me as very odd that so many people seem to think Martin was justified in the physical attack of Zimmerman.