•HRES 612 IH 
Whereas Zimmerman raised a ‘‘self-defense’’ claim and Mar-
tin, as the deceased victim, was unable to rebut such 
claim; 
Whereas Zimmerman was never charged for the crime and 
was released by the Sanford Police Department soon 
thereafter; 
Whereas despite the numerous pieces of evidence, including 
a 911 call made by Zimmerman, Martin’s final phone 
conversation which occurred during the course of the 
crime, the numerous calls made to 911 by nearby neigh-
bors who heard the incident, and Zimmerman’s troubling 
legal history, the Sanford Police claimed they did not 
have enough evidence to detain Zimmerman and subse-
quently released him; 
Whereas Zimmerman’s unfounded assumptions and racial 
bias led to the use of deadly force; 
Whereas a month after the crime, Zimmerman remains free 
and still bears a concealed weapons permit and the legal 
right to carry a gun; 
Whereas Trayvon Martin’s brutal death and the inconceivable 
fact that his killer remains free should not be ignored; 
Whereas the Sanford Police Department and its Chief, who 
is on temporary administrative leave while the case is 
being investigated, have faced a firestorm of criticism 
over the handling of the shooting; 
Whereas this case sets a horrific precedent of vigilante justice 
and compromises the integrity of the legal system; 
Whereas the Department of Justice will investigate all facts 
and circumstances leading to Trayvon Martin’s death and 
consider Federal criminal prosecution of George Zimmer-
man based on Federal civil rights statutes; 
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•HRES 612 IH 
Whereas over 2,000,000 signatures have been collected on an 
online petition demanding Zimmerman’s arrest and jus-
tice for Martin’s family; 
Whereas Florida’s Stand Your Ground law has been criticized 
by both the legal and law enforcement communities; 
Whereas 21 States have passed and implemented Stand Your 
Ground laws; 
Whereas Stand Your Ground laws dramatically and recklessly 
expand the right of citizens to use deadly force in self- 
defense, and have been the subject of national scrutiny 
in the wake of Trayvon Martin’s death; 
Whereas the Stand Your Ground laws were drafted by orga-
nizations, corporations, and individuals that ignored ad-
vice from experts explaining that such laws would com-
promise public safety, disproportionately impact commu-
nities of color, and would result in offenders circum-
venting prosecution; 
Whereas an attempted expansion of the Stand Your Ground 
laws doctrine has resulted in the collaboration of the Na-
tional Rifle Association (NRA) and the American Legis-
lative Exchange Council (ALEC), which promotes con-
servative public policy by affecting change in State legis-
latures; 
Whereas ALEC drafts model legislation for its members to 
champion and advance in their home States; 
Whereas ALEC used Florida’s Stand Your Ground law as a 
template in its push to broaden the Castle Doctrine na-
tionwide; and 
Whereas the 2005 passage of Florida’s Stand Your Ground 
law resulted in similar statutes being passed in 16 other 
States: Now, therefore, be it 
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•HRES 612 IH 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) admonishes any State, local agency, or offi-
cial acting to obstruct an open investigation or fail-
ing to fully execute their official duties in the inves-
tigation of the events surrounding the death of 
Trayvon Martin; 
(2) condemns all relevant parties for their roles 
in proposing Stand Your Ground legislation and 
similar legislation that compromises public safety 
and the integrity of the prosecutorial system; 
(3) condemns unfounded reliance on Stand 
Your Ground laws to protect actions that extend far 
beyond historical use of self-defense; 
(4) urges any State legislature considering 
Stand Your Ground legislation to reject such pro-
posals; and 
(5) urges the repeal of the Stand Your Ground 
law in every applicable State, including Florida. 
Æ 
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