The great state of Florida recognizes the stand your ground law (776.013 F.S.) as of 2005 which deals with the proper use of force. Previously, Florida had a "duty to retreat" which stated you could only use force as a last resort after all possible attempts to avail. Some studies [like this one] indicate that stand your ground law decreases both murder and violent crimes.

I am not going to speculate about the details of the case and what happened between George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin, but I will stipulate to the facts. After doing some research on other self-defense cases and other examples of the stand your ground law, they all had one thing in common; a dead victim. I'm not a lawyer, but it doesn't take a genius to realize your chances of being acquitted are much better when there is only 1 side to the story.

I will say this, and those who don't agree are just being ignorant. This case was tainted long before the trial because it was turned into a race related crime. If George Zimmerman was black, I doubt it would have gone further than the local news. This is Casey Anthony all over again. Had the prosecution gone after Zimmerman with a manslaughter charge, chances of proving him guilty would be much better than proving 2nd degree murder. The emotional outcry of the public did more harm than good for the outcome of the case.

Other stand your ground cases in Florida. Of the cases mentioned in the article, this one is shocking. To me, shooting someone in the back of the head while they are climbing out of the water is straight up murder. However, the shooter was acquitted under the stand your ground law.

Although Zimmerman isn't using stand your ground as his defense, any self defense shooting with only a single living party is hard to investigate. For those readers who feel George Zimmerman should be convicted of murder, remember this; Today we employ a "legal system." Which is quite different from a "justice system." In most cases, those who are charged with a crime have just as many or more rights than the victims.

My prediction is a not guilty verdict. If OJ Simpson and Casey Anthony were not convicted of murder why would Zimmerman?

The laws concerning machine guns and short barrel rifles are defined in the National Firearms Act. There are some stipulations concerning sear usage with short barrel guns. This information assumes SBRs are allowed in your state.

Registered sears can be used with any guns in which they were designed for. They are often referred to as RDIAS, registered drop-in auto sears. Common sears are often found for M16/AR-15 style rifles or HK roller locking guns like the MP5/HK91. The sears will cost nearly as much (sometimes more) than native machine guns. However, there is a difference in classification between machine guns and auto sears.

A machine gun is considered automatic and eliminates the requirement of the short barrel rifle tax stamp. If you own a machine gun on a form 4, you are not required to have a form 1 as well if your gun has a barrel shorter than 16 inches.

In contrast, if you own a sear, you may add a stock to your gun therefore making it a short barrel but only when the sear is installed. However, once you remove the sear you must remove the stock and return the gun to a 16" rifle or pistol configuration.

Sometime a machine gun and sear are sold together. This is referred to as "married." If you have a machine gun with a married sear you may swap the sear into a different gun with some requirements. By doing so, you are required to submit a form 1 for the original gun if the barrel is shorter than 16 inches. This would allow you to remove the sear for use on another gun, but still posses the original gun as a short barrel rifle. Moving a sear from a married gun without a form 1 is considered illegal.

If you are thinking of choosing between an MP5 or MP5 SD, chances are you already know a lot about the MP5 platform. For those who don't, I will enlighten you. The MP5 and MP5SD are both submachine guns because they are chambered in a pistol caliber.

However, due the Gun Control Act of 1968, they were no longer allowed to be imported from Germany. So if you want to own one, you have a few different options:

• Purchase a clone in semi-auto only (sub-gun)
• Use a clone with a registered sear
• Try to find a pre-ban (before 1968) model

Any pre-ban models are highly collectible and EXTREMELY expensive due to the VERY limited number. Since genuine HK MP5s are very rare in civilian hands, several companies produce "clones" of the MP5 which usually consist of mostly genuine HK parts with a few exceptions. Some things like barrels, stocks, triggers, and other parts are made in the US to satisfy 922r compliance and to lower the cost. Most of these companies produce MP5 clones that are "sear ready." Meaning, if you own a registered sear, you can drop it into the trigger pack to make it an automatic or submachine gun.

If you don't own a sear, chances are you just after a semi-automatic model. There are companies who will even produce the SD model using an integral suppressor. While the idea of using a suppressor designed specifically for the weapon sounds like a good idea (no pun intended), it has some drawbacks.

The MP5SD is designed to use be used with 124 gr. ammo. Shortly after the mouth of the barrel a series of holes act as vents to slow down the bullet before it enters the suppressor and leaves the barrel. This design yields a very messy operation and HK suggests cleaning the gun every 500 rounds. Although, the SD does manage to be one of the quietest 9mm sub-guns without using true subsonic ammo that is also full auto rated.

In contrast, a regular MP5 with a standard suppressor and subsonic ammo is a pretty damn good setup. It won't be as quiet as the SD, but you still get a quality suppressed weapon that can run full auto if the suppressor is rated for it. Going this route allows you to use an existing suppressor that you may already own.

MP5 subguns in a rifle configuration are considered short barrel rifles in accordance with the National Firearms Act.