Sybrina Fulton, the mother of slain 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, testified on Capitol Hill Wednesday that the Stand-Your-Ground laws in Florida must be amended and reviewed, ABC News reported.
A Stand-Your-Ground law is a type of self-defense that gives individuals the right to use deadly force "to defend themselves without any requirement to retreat from a dangerous situation," according to one of its stipulaions.
"I just wanted to come here to ... let you know how important it is that we amend this stand your ground because it certainly did not work in my case,.The person that shot and killed my son is walking the streets today. This law does not work, Fulton said at the Senate Judiciary subcommittee.
"It's unfortunate what has happened with Trayvon, and that's why I feel like it's so important for me to be here so that you all can at least put a face with what has happened with this tragedy," Fulton added.
Fulton's testimony at the hearing "sparked a conversation among lawmakers and witnesses about the ambiguity of such laws, the racial implications they might have, and the role of the federal government in considering challenges to them," The Los Angeles Times reported.
"In Florida, the data show that African-American defendants have availed themselves of the Stand Your Ground law more frequently than Anglo defendants," argued Texas Senator Ted Cruz.
Zimmerman was not initially arrested after his fight with Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida, which ended with the neighborhood watchman shooting to death the 17-year-old. Zimmerman was not arrested and charged with second degree murder until six weeks later.
Zimmerman's acquittal prompted mass waves of protests throughout the U.S. both on the issue of racial profiling and for challenging the terms of the Stand-Your-Ground laws in Florida.
Attorney General Eric Holder criticized stand-your-ground laws on July 16, saying they "senselessly expand the concept of self-defense and sow dangerous conflict in our neighborhoods.".
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