July 22, 2013, 6:00 am
(NECN/NBC News: Melissa Mollet) - The conversation is continuing on the stand-your-ground law, as the president and his former rival are finding common ground.The law has spurred protests across the country. Now President Barack Obama and Republican Senator John McCain agree the law deserves another look."Stand-your-ground' law may be something that needs to be reviewed by the Florida legislature or any other legislature that has passed such legislation," said McCain.At least 22 states have had a similar law on the books for years, but the push to repeal them is new, starting just after George Zimmerman was found "not-guilty" in the death of Florida teen Trayvon Martin. This weekend saw rallies in more than 100 U.S. cities, with protesters pushing for a change and "federal" civil rights charges against Zimmerman. Some fear the law, as it stands, encourages violence and is racially biased.Friday, the president urged lawmakers to take another look at the law, asking if Martin was of age and armed, could he have legally shot George Zimmerman"And if the answer to that question is at least ambiguous, then it seems to me that we might want to examine those kinds of laws," said Obama.But some say the jury's verdict in this case is unlikely to spur change. George Zimmerman's defense team did not use the stand-your-ground law in building their case, but those words were used in the jury's instructions.
Tags: Obama, John McCain, politics, Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman, Stand Your Ground
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