New Haven, Conn. (WTNH) -- The shooting death of Trayvon Martin has some people in Connecticut taking another look at the state's gun laws.
The Trayvon Martin story in Florida certainly has raised a number of questions: one might be, 'why would a neighborhood watch captain carry a sidearm?'
However, you have to remember there was another city that made national news when neighborhood block watch volunteers used sidearms. It was New Haven, in the Edgewood Park area.
Before America learned Sanford, FL, neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman carried a gun, let's go back five years to the Elm City.
"It's certainly not the substitute that one would want," said Eliezer Greer, "but when you're missing what you're supposed to have and things are slipping out of hand."
It was 2007 when the Edgewood Park Defense Patrol was created after a series of crimes, including an assault of a rabbi.
"There are probably not too many neighborhood watch groups that publicly announce that they are carrying sidearms, that is a little bit of a unique situation," Greer said.
Years later, Greer has no regrets of exercising his second amendment rights, and will continue to do so, especially since he says the streets are safer.
"Really set the tone that there was no nonsense," Greer said, "and a certain amount of seriousness and respect."
The show of force, Greer believes, has worked. However, he says there's a big difference to how his group patrols and how Zimmerman stood guard. Zimmerman's story aside , Greer says when carrying a gun, there is no room for cowboys.
"George Zimmerman was alone that evening about a month ago, the night of the incident," Greer said, "whenever our patrols go out and have gone out, they're always in pairs, always, and that avoids a lot of concerns."
Greer stresses, again, those in the neighborhood watch program are always together, and that there is no requirement that someone must carry a gun.
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