Monday, March 26, 2012

Should "Stand Your Ground" Laws Be Repealed?

I have to say, if I understand Florida's (and by extension, a dozen and a half other states') "Stand Your Ground" law correctly, then I have to wonder how the thing ever got passed. I do understand that anything considered "pro-gun" is heavily pushed by the NRA, and apparently the shady, hugely monied ALEC. And I understand that along with all of that, any law they're pushing has a greater chance of passage.

Image from source, Washington Post
But it sounds like this law a) allows you to shoot somebody if you feel threatened,* and b) does not require your detention or arrest to sort it all out. The cops get to decide if the shooting fits the law, and if they think it does, they just let you go. They don't test you for drugs or alcohol. They don't run a background check on you. They just ask you a few questions, and you're good to go. And you get to keep your gun!

So, basically, this type of law just requires you to have a reasonable sounding story, and you can get away with murder. Unless I'm misunderstanding something, or if somehow the George Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin story is atypical, this is just insane. It removes the judge, jury, attorneys, and leaves you as the executioner. Or the dead. How could anyone defend this law?

[Excerpt]

Repeal the ‘Stand Your Ground’ law

The “Stand Your Ground” laws in Florida and other states should all be repealed. At best, they are redundant. At worst, as in the Trayvon Martin killing, they are nothing but a license to kill. . .

Read more at: Washington Post

*And consider this: defenders of this type of law tend to be conservatives. And conservatives tend to also be against hate crime laws, because they have to "get inside your head" to determine intent. WTF do you think they have to do to determine that you felt threatened? And it's a cop, not a lawyer, judge or jury!

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