Week 2 EOC: Stand Your Ground

Stand Your Ground

What is Florida’s Stand Your Ground law?

It is a law that allows people to stand their ground instead of retreating if they believe doing so is necessary to “prevent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the commission of a forcible felony.” But what does this really mean? It means that people could defend themselves, even outside of their homes, with deadly force if necessary if they believe their life is in danger.

                In 2005 after a 39-0 vote in the state Senate and a 94-20 vote in the state House Gov. Jeb Bush signed it. The National Rifle Association lobbied hard for the measure, while law enforcement officials like Miami’s police chief opposed it. Defenders of the law often cited the 2004 case of James Workman, a retiree asleep in his RV who shot an intruder and had to wait months before prosecutors decided he engaged is self-defense. Opponents worried the law would encourage the use of deadly force. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/07/15/everything-you-need-to-know-about-stand-your-ground-laws/

                Since the shooting death of Trayvon Martin and the not guilty verdict of George Zimmerman, many Democratic leaders and protesters have urged Florida governor Rick Scott to either repeal the law or enact changes to avert more tragedies. The Zimmerman verdict demonstrated the ramifications of the 2005 law, Florida Senate Democratic leader Chris Smith said. "This bill actually encourages people to shoot their way out of situations and that's not how we live in a civilized society," Smith told a news conference. "It's a mentality that has permeated the state of Florida. It's a mentality of shoot first, and we should not have that in a civilized society." http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/19/us-usa-florida-shooting-lawmakers-idUSBRE96I05020130719
            Attorney general Eric Holder spoke at the annual convention of the NAACP and condemned “stand your ground.” The statutes, which have been enacted in more than 30 states, have become the focus of a complicated national debate over race, crime and culpability since the shooting of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed 17-year-old, by a neighborhood watch volunteer in Sanford, Fla. The volunteer, George Zimmerman, was acquitted of murder charges Saturday. “These laws try to fix something that was never broken,” Holder told cheering delegates of the annual convention of the NAACP, which is pressing him to file civil rights charges against Zimmerman. “The list of resulting tragedies is long and, unfortunately, has victimized too many who are innocent.” http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/naacp-urges-eric-holder-do-the-right-thing/2013/07/16/530425da-ee49-11e2-9008-61e94a7ea20d_story.html

I believe that this law needs to be looked at and revised to ensure the safety of all parties.