That's the question John Lott has for Florida state's attorney Angela Corey.

The charges brought against George Zimmerman sure look like prosecutorial misconduct. The case as put forward by the prosecutor in the “affidavit of probable cause” is startlingly weak. As a former chief economist at the U.S. Sentencing Commission, I have read a number of such affidavits, and cannot recall one lacking so much relevant information. The prosecutor has most likely deliberately overcharged, hoping to intimidate Zimmerman into agreeing to a plea bargain. If this case goes to trial, Zimmerman will almost definitely be found “not guilty” on the charge of second-degree murder.

But then maybe Lott, the author of "More Guns, Less Crime" has an axe to grind. But his research is backed up by Prof. Gary Kleck who, a number of years ago estimated that 2.5 million crimes a year are prevented by "defensive gun use," which can include just brandishing a firearm and discouraging a crime from being committed.

Gun crime remains a serious problem in the U.S. but mostly it's a localized problem. Gun control activists are seizing on the Trayvon Martin case to promote stricter gun control laws. If not for George Zimmerman being allowed to lawfully carry a gun, both men would probably be alive today. They are most likely right about that.

But then if the old man in the video below had been prevented from carrying a gun, Joyce Cordova probably not be alive today either.

(The audio starts at about the 14-second mark, so stay with it.)