The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, a nonprofit advocacy group for changes in gun laws, has released a dramatic public service announcement in its ongoing efforts to repeal the controversial "Stand your ground" law. The PSA features a re-enactment of the night George Zimmerman killed 17-year-old unarmed Trayvon Martin in February 2012 and uses audio of Zimmerman's 911 call, as well as the 911 call of a neighbor, which captured the gun shot.
According to USA Today, the video was released on Monday, with the goal of mobilizing more people to push to repeal "Stand your ground" laws.
"These are laws that are causing human tragedies, and that's what we are trying to show," said Ladd Everitt, communications director for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. "This is something that not only affected the Martin and Zimmerman families but those who either saw or heard the events unfold."
The video aims to take people into the night Trayvon was killed and personalize what Zimmerman, Trayvon and the neighbors saw and heard shortly before and after the shooting, he said. A website featuring the video allows people to sign a petition intended to ask lawmakers to repeal the laws.
The "Stand your ground" law allows anyone who feels threatened to retaliate even with deadly force. In the Zimmerman trial, the "Stand your ground" law was cited as a reason Zimmerman was justified for killing Trayvon, though Zimmerman's lawyer, Mark O'Mara, has said that Zimmerman simply defended himself. Florida is one of a handful of states to have a "Stand your ground" law in effect.
Watch the video below:
Read more at USA Today.
Jozen Cummings is the author and creator of the popular relationship blog Until I Get Married, which is currently in development for a television series with Warner Bros. He also hosts a weekly podcast with WNYC about Empire called Empire Afterparty, is a contributor at VerySmartBrothas.com and works at Twitter as an editorial curator. Follow him on Twitter.