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'Stand Your Ground' Laws Promote Vigilante Mentality

The NRA, and the politicians who do its bidding, put the gun in George Zimmerman's hands

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Ask Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis if they think Stand Your Ground laws are a good idea. Oh, wait... you can't. Their dead.

Kim of PA 8:46AM November 29, 2012

Stand Your Ground is a Fantastic Law and should remain on the books.

In my opinion, it makes the "bad guys" think twice before they commit a crime, and should they execute the crime, they enter knowing they may not come out alive.

Guns will never go away, so why not educate people (with qualified backgrounds) how to appropriately handle and use firearms. It's easy to tell others how to live, when you live in the fantasy world, believing that a crime will never be committed against you or your loved ones...

John of FL 9:25AM October 16, 2012

You got to be out of your mind. Lets say that Trayvon was george ans gearge was trayvon. I bet you a million dollars that trayvon would be in jail on the first day. People can say what they want it was racial I don't care how you want to look at it. He intended to do what he did and use that law as an excuse.

Lakisha of MS 2:03PM June 05, 2012

what do you mean? Lets assume it wasn't a racial issue; how would George Zimmerman judge if the two of them were of the same race, or how would you felt if Trayvon Martin was your own son or grandson?

Dotun Fakeye of TX 8:48AM April 29, 2012

Attached are a few sites and links that discuss the varied perspectives of journalists, politicians and pundits on the "Stand Your Ground" Law:

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/120412/national-rifle-association-alec-behind-stand-your-ground-zimmerman

Mayor Michael Bloomberg joined civil rights leaders in Washington to announce a campaign against "Stand Your Ground" laws.

http://billmoyers.com/2012/03/28/what-does-walmart-have-to-do-with-trayvon-martin/

http://billmoyers.com/2012/04/05/companies-respond-to-alec-boycotts/

Shooter Of Unarmed Florida Teen Faces Second-Degree Murder Charges

The "Second Chance Of First Shoot" campaign is designed to get the 25 states that have the laws to repeal or reform them.

Mayor of New York CIty, Michael Bloomberg said: Bloomberg said: "...statistics show the rate of so-called justifiable homicides has increased for states following their adoption of the measures.

He maintained that while Americans do have the right to defend themselves, "Stand Your Ground" laws have nothing to do with self-defense.

"No civilized society that I know of outside of America has laws that permit anyone to just decide that somebody shouldn't be alive, pull out a gun shoot them and get away with it," Bloomberg said.

He also chastised the National Rifle Association, which is in favor of the laws." (See NY1.com)

-NY1.com-

"Shooter Of Unarmed Florida Teen Faces Second-Degree Murder Charges Updated 04/11/2012 11:56 PM"

http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/159216/shooter-of-unarmed-florida-teen-faces-second-degree-murder-charges

-NY1.com-

ann keenan of MI 12:26AM April 13, 2012

You and Bill Hedges should get together so that you can really ramp up your name-calling toward fellow commenters, who are giving opinions on current events, based on evidence studied. My "ridiculous assertion" had nothing to do with whether Mr. Zimmerman had a right to carry a gun. The Stand Your Ground Law is far too nebulous a law to remain on the books as it is written.

Therein lies the folly of a law that has already caused a multitude of homicides in the state in which Stand Your Ground was signed into law. Whether the increase of homicides are all the fault of this 2005 law, may still be in question, but much evidence shows an increase of "justifiable" homicide in those states where this law is on the books:

http://www.politifact.com/florida/statements/2012/mar/26/christopher-l-smith/sen-chris-smith-claimed-deaths-due-self-defense-fl/

In the case of Mr. Zimmerman and Mr. Martin, NO investigation was done on whether this was a "Stand Your Ground" instance. This is what Mr. Zimmerman stated, and since he was not arrested, not charged, no forensics investigation was carried through to determine evidence at the scene, and the other witness is dead, there is, perhaps, a problem with determining evidence in this case. The Stand Your Ground Law was enacted in 2005, with the cooperation of state and federal politicians and the National Rifle Association:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/text/2017951679.html

The NRA has never denied they backed this law. It is common knowledge for those who belong to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), and to those citizens who are interested in the work (and what kind of work) ALEC is doing. By the way, it is not just Liberals who are wary of this law and its lack of sound detail; there has been disagreements about this law from human voting citizens of all political parties. I say "human voters" because we now have "corporate voters," the NRA among them. By the way, did YOU know about this 2005 law before the Trayvon Martin/Zimmerman case? I have not met a single person who even knew there was such a law with such vague and ambiguous language.

ann keenan of MI 10:13PM April 12, 2012

You and Bill Hedges should get together so that you can really ramp up your name-calling toward fellow commenters, who are giving opinions on current events, based on evidence studied. My "ridiculous assertion" had nothing to do with whether Mr. Zimmerman had a right to carry a gun. The Stand Your Ground Law is far too nebulous a law to remain on the books as it is written.

Therein lies the folly of a law that has already caused a multitude of homicides in the state in which Stand Your Ground was signed into law. Whether the increase of homicides are all the fault of this 2005 law, may still be in question, but much evidence shows an increase of "justifiable" homicide in those states where this law is on the books:

http://www.politifact.com/florida/statements/2012/mar/26/christopher-l-smith/sen-chris-smith-claimed-deaths-due-self-defense-fl/

In the case of Mr. Zimmerman and Mr. Martin, NO investigation was done on whether this was a "Stand Your Ground" instance. This is what Mr. Zimmerman stated, and since he was not arrested, not charged, no forensics investigation was carried through to determine evidence at the scene, and the other witness is dead, there is, perhaps, a problem with determining evidence in this case. The Stand Your Ground Law was enacted in 2005, with the cooperation of state and federal politicians and the National Rifle Association:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/text/2017951679.html

The NRA has never denied they backed this law. It is common knowledge for those who belong to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), and to those citizens who are interested in the work (and what kind of work) ALEC is doing. By the way, it is not just Liberals who are wary of this law and its lack of sound detail; there has been disagreements about this law from human voting citizens of all political parties. I say "human voters" because we now have "corporate voters," the NRA among them. By the way, did YOU know about this 2005 law before the Trayvon Martin/Zimmerman case? I have not met a single person who even knew there was such a law with such vague and ambiguous language.

ann keenan of MI 10:09PM April 12, 2012

Ridiculous assertion. Zimmerman was qualified under existing Florida law to possess and carry a firearm. The NRA had nothing to do with that decision. And we do not yet know to what extent, if any, the Florida provision eliminating the duty to retreat was a factor in this shooting. But, as a mouthpiece for the Brady Bunch, don't let a few facts get in the way of an intractable position.

James Fleming of MN 5:10PM April 08, 2012

As I submitted my original comments, I realized I did not mention all the states that have the Stand Your Ground law. They are as follows:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/2012/04/07/gIQA82t61S_graphic.html

I found Mr. Gross's article to be an excellent perspective on the matter, particularly the "Vigilante Mentality" statement. That is a concise comment on this particular law. Before legislation became more concise on the rights of others, and the U.S. "advanced," on improved civil rights, it is beyond belief that our country is NOT further advancing, but our politicians' and corporations' ethics and integrity are moving backward to an uncivilized time in our history. Weren't we supposed to learn from history and NOT repeat it?

As this law was backed by the NRA, I wonder if the NRA checked back into history and realized they were selling more guns in the good ol'' "shoot 'em up, vigilante days, and decided to create a new law that helped gun and rifle corporations make more profits.

ann keenan of MI 7:46PM April 07, 2012

This case is not clearly a case of "Stand Your Ground" either. Trayvon Martin had just as much right to be there as Zimmerman did, but from that point, this law bred and triggered a complete disaster. We could turn this around and suggest that if Martin was carrying the gun, he would have every right to shoot Mr. Zimmerman.

In addition, Trayvon Martin, no doubt, felt very much in danger too, but HE never had a chance. Even though he hit Zimmerman, consider that Martin was in danger too, and attempted to defend himself against an "unknown enemy." At some poin, Zimmerman met up with Martin; and admits he followed Martin. That is not actually the job of a neighborhood watch person--to catch up and confront the alleged "culprit.". Even so, something tells me that if the gun ownership was reversed, and Trayvan Martin had the gun, Trayvon Martin would have been arrested on the spot.

This legislation was sponsored by the National Rifle Association together with Republican politicians in the two states of FLorida and Texas, and has continued advocacy by the NRA, and intended to be put into place in many other states.

No human voter is said to have been informed of this law before it was signed into law in 2005, by the Florida and Texas Governors, Jeb Bush and Rick Perry, A.L.E.C. members. The NRA and its lobbyists are also members of A.L.E.C. Oddly, coincidental....

http://dallasmorningviewsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2012/04/wsj-the-impact.html

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/coke-withdraws-group-backs-stand-ground-law-230247092.html

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-03-30/killing-stalls-stand-your-ground-laws-as-nra-lobbies-in-alaska

ann keenan of MI 1:00AM April 07, 2012

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