Were Zimmerman and Trayvon both victims of a bad law?

Yes I think they were. If there was no stand your ground law Zimmerman may of stayed in his car and went with proper procedure.

Self-defense is not a crime. Zimmerman did not need the "stand your ground" defense because that would only apply where you actually had a choice to flee before using deadly force. By the time it became deadly, Trayvon already had him down and would have killed him in another 30 seconds.

It has been legal to defend yourself for hundreds of years in all but those few states that have repealed the common law and replaced it with the arguably unconstitutional requirement to flee to avoid having to kill your attacker.

The beauty of having concealed carry is that the criminals cannot tell which victims are armed and which are not, making it all the more useful for the victim to have the element of surprise. "Surprise! you're dead." That's the whole point. If more criminals realized the danger of jumping a stranger, maybe the streets would be safer.

Stand your ground had NOTHING to do with this case.

Zimmerman claimed he was acting in self defense as a result of Martin attacking him.

Self defense is NOT stand your ground. And self defense and the ability to act in self defense is a fundamental right in this country. The anti-gun/anti-Second Amendment folks don't seem to understand that the right and ability to carry a firearm is the only thing that allows a 120 lb woman to defend herself against a six foot tall man or a senior citizen to stand up to a burglar.

The old adage holds true: An armed society is a polite society. When Martin started beating Zimmerman's a$$, he did not expect Zimmerman to have a weapon. And if Martin had simply popped Zimmerman a couple of times before running off, Martin would be alive today. Zimmerman was not hot off the trigger - he clearly did not intend to use his weapon when he was following Martin . . . otherwise he would have had his concealed weapon in his hand and prepared to fire and he would have pulled the trigger before allowing Martin to lay a hand on him.

The law had nothing to do with it. If I saw a guy walking around late at night I might find out what he is doing. If he started beating the crap out of me white, brown or black he would be dead. I am allowed to carry a gun, or a knife or a spoon, and I am allowed to use whatever means necessary to prevent death or serious bodily harm.

Stand your ground was not part of any defense.