In an unusual move, Sen. John McCain has taken a stance in agreement with his former political foe, President Barack Obama, declaring that "stand-your-ground" laws need to be re-examined, both nationally and in his home state of Arizona.
"The 'stand-your-ground' law may be something that may need to be reviewed by the Florida legislature or any other legislature that has passed such legislation," McCain said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday morning.
The "stand-your-ground" law grants citizens the right to use deadly force against another if they feel that their life is being threatened. Because of the controversial law, Zimmerman was immediately freed hours after he shot Trayvon Martin back in February 2012 and was granted immunity. He was only charged after a national outrage pushed Sanford, Fla. police to arrest him, almost six weeks later.
McCain also praised President Obama's remarks following the Zimmerman verdict about racial tensions that have been exposed by Martin's death. "What I got out of the president's statement, which I thought was very impressive, is that we need to have more conversation in America," McCain said, reports Philly.com. "I need to talk to more of my Hispanic organizations in my state. I need to talk to more African-American organizations. We've still got a long way to go. And I think the president very appropriately highlighted a lot of that...as only the president of the United States can."
The Arizona Republican senator also took the opportunity to disagree with fellow Republican Sen. Ted Cruz who believes the Obama administration's review of "stand-your-ground" will limit the rights of gun owners. "Isn't it time for America to come together?" McCain asked. "I'd rather have a message of coming together and discussing these issues rather than condemning. I respect (Cruz's) view, but I don't frankly see the connection."
However, McCain fell short of agreeing with the president about Zimmerman's not guilty verdict, which was deliberated by an all-female and predominantly white Florida jury. He told Crowley that he "trust[ed] the jury," and that "No one I know of has said this case is flawed or corrupt, or that there's anything wrong with the system of justice," reports the Huffington Post. "I can also see that the stand-your-ground law may be something that needs to be reviewed by the Florida Legislature or any other Legislature. But to somehow condemn the verdict, you would have show me where the jury was corrupted."
Watch video of Mccain's interview below:
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