The problem with the Zimmerman case in Florida is not about what actually happened. There could have been any number of ways the true scenario happened.  That will all get sorted out as the two sides present their versions of the facts.  This is a very sad situation. A young man is dead. A family is grieving. Another man has to live with having killed someone. The problem with the Zimmerman case is the law that says you can shoot first and ask questions later. On principle I agree that you should be able to do whatever it takes to defend yourself when you feel threatened. The question in this case will be whether Mr. Martin felt threatened and defended himself, or whether Mr. Zimmerman felt threatened and defended himself.  The problem with the shoot first  law is that the law may or may not be applied equally . If the local sheriff  could produce a group of ethnically diverse people who could stand up and say, “I shot someone who I thought was threatening me and I was not charged”, then the big picture questions would not even come up. The only questions would be about the facts in the case.  So who has actually gone free after killing someone in Florida under the shoot first laws?