Protest targets Rubio for supporting 'Stand Your Ground' law

Protesters opposed to Florida's "Stand Your Ground" gun law are targeting Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). 

A group called the Dream Defenders plans to assemble on Monday at noon outside Rubio's local office to protest his support for the law. 

The protest is the latest sign of the lingering anger over the February shooting of Trayvon Martin, and the likelihood that the issue will continue to be a topic of conversation in Washington when Congress returns next week.

Martin was shot on Feb. 26 by George Zimmerman, who has claimed he was acting in self-defense. Florida law permits the use of deadly force in self-defense, but many are questioning whether Zimmerman was defending himself or whether he was in fact an aggressor who shot Martin unprovoked.

Rubio, who is seen as a leading contender for the GOP vice presidential nomination, last week offered support for the Florida law, but also said he wasn't sure it applied in Zimmerman's case. 

"I don't know what happened in this case, but 'Stand Your Ground' does not allow you to chase somebody and shoot them," Rubio said, according to NBC Miami. "So I'm not saying that's what happened in this case, but if it happened in this case or in any other case, 'Stand Your Ground' doesn't apply."

Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) has led efforts in the House to draw attention to Martin's shooting. Wilson, along with other members of the Congressional Black Caucus, has argued that Martin's death is the result of racial profiling on the part of Zimmerman, and that the police should arrest Zimmerman.

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