World News Korner

Florida city introduces new rule forbidding neighborhood watch participants from carrying guns. I think Trayvon Martin might say, "Better late than never."

Courtesy of Reuters:

The Florida city where neighborhood watch leader George Zimmerman shot and killed unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin is changing the rules on how civilian patrols can operate to help prevent a recurrence and revive the program's reputation.

The new rules, to be released at a community meeting on November 5 in Sanford, Florida, will state explicitly that residents acting under the authority of neighborhood watch may not carry a firearm or pursue someone they deem suspicious.

"Neighborhood watch was always intended to be a program where you observe what is going on and report it to police. In light of everything that has gone on, that's what we're really going to go back and push. That's what this program is and that's all it is," said Shannon Cordingly, spokeswoman for the Sanford Police Department.

I am glad that Sanford City has taken this step and hope that many others follow suit.

Personally I don't think that neighborhood watch personnel should EVER be allowed to carry a gun in ANY city. It is bad enough with cops shooting unarmed individuals without adding untrained, or poorly trained, amateurs to the mix.

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