America’s top law enforcer is condemning Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” self-defense law in the wake of the acquittal of George Zimmerman, who admitted shooting and killing a black teenager.

Attorney General Eric Holder made his comments in an address to the annual convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in Orlando, Florida.  That’s not too far away from the town of Sanford, Florida, where 17-year old Trayvon Martin was murdered.

Holder points out that Americans have always had the right to self-defense, even when it’s lethal.

“These laws try to fix something that was never broken,” Holder said.  “We must stand our ground to ensure that our laws reduce violence and take a hard look at laws that contribute to more violence than they prevent.

“By allowing and perhaps encouraging violent situations to escalate in public, such laws undermine public safety. The list of resulting tragedies is long and unfortunately has victimized too many who are innocent.”

Zimmerman admitted to stalking, confronting, fighting with, and fatally shooting Trayvon Martin, who had been out for a walk to buy iced tea and candy, back in February 2011.