Gun violence – not race – is the issue legendary comedian Bill Cosby believes the conversation should revolve around when it comes to the Trayvon Martin case.
STORY: The Power Of The Gun! Bill Cosby Speaks On Trayvon Martin
Bill Cosby told CNN that the race of Trayvon had less to do with his death than the fact that the neighborhood watch volunteer who killed him was carrying a gun.
Cosby told CNN:
“It doesn’t make any difference if he’s racist or not racist. If he’s scared to death and not a racist, it’s still a confrontational provoking of something.”
Gun violence is personal to Cosby. In 1997 his only son, Ennis, was shot and killed while changing a tire off a Southern California freeway in 1997. Michael Markhasev, a Ukrainian-born immigrant, was convicted the next year of killing Ennis Cosby during an attempted robbery.
Cosby said that he “used to have a gun,” which he bought to “protect my family.” He insists he has nothing against people having firearms in their homes to protect against intruders, but said he believes that being on the streets with a gun changes some people, making them bolder and more dangerous.
“When a person has a gun, sometimes their mind clicks that this thing … will win arguments and straighten people out,” he said.
Cosby didn’t mention Zimmerman by name but said:
“When you tell me that you’re going to protect the neighborhood that I live in, I don’t want you to have a gun. I want you to be able to see something, report it and get out of the way.”
Mr. Cosby is correct: the issue at hand is gun violence and we as a nation need to have a conversation about reforming the way we look at guns in America.
