The reporting on this law has been atrocious. It merely adds another aspect to the basic law on self-defense. It does not change any of the exclusions under which self-defense cannot be claimed, notably while in the commission of a felony.
All it does is remove the duty to retreat. Which personally I think may not be entirely a good thing.
The SYG law quite probably has no application in the Zimmerman case, but this case will be used to demonize the law. Count on it.
Which is the reason self-defense advocates NEED for the SYG law to be front and center in this case. We need to hold the Left's advance HERE; here and no farther. A line in the sand. We need to "stand our ground" as it were, on the SYG law.
Because if SYG falls, self-defense is next.
That was my understanding too.
But according to Fox News, Zim's new lawyer does intend to invoke the "stand your ground" in order to qualify the case for the pre-trial dismissal opportunity.
I don't know if Fox got that right, or if I understood it correctly.
Even if this information is correct, I still wouldn't expect a judge to have the courage to dismiss it.
How could Zimmerman retreat with a 6’3” Trayvon according to witnesses beating him up on top of him with the cement to his back? Self defense all the way IMO.
Especially since we know Trayvon went running away and came back to attack himself.
If Zimmerman is telling the truth, he had no chance to retreat—Martin came up and attacked him.
>>>The SYG law quite probably has no application in the Zimmerman case, but this case will be used to demonize the law. Count on it.
Will be?? Too late. Already has...
I think I agree.
When you are in your home, it is a reasonable presumption that a stranger there uninvited is an aggressor, and then, I believe, you have the right to act accordingly.
When people get into scraps on the street, or in a bar, it's much harder to PRESUME who is in the right. It can't be the law that, if you get into a fight you didn't NEED to get into that, once the fight goes against you such that you are in fear of serious bodily injury (i.e., you are getting your ass kicked) that you can then use deadly force to stop the fight.
If THAT is what the FL SYG law says, then I think it's a bad law.