Free Republic

TALLAHASSEE — Florida's controversial "stand your ground" law continues to enjoy widespread support among likely voters, even as a state task force considers rewriting the law, according to a new Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald/Bay News 9 poll. Nearly 65 percent say the 2005 law — which allows people who believe they are in grave danger to use deadly force to defend themselves — does not need to be changed. There's less consensus when it comes to voters' thoughts on the Trayvon Martin shooting, which thrust the law into the national spotlight this year. Voters are essentially split about whether George...

MELBOURNE, Florida -- The Space Coast Progressive Alliance will host a Trayvon Martin and Stand Your Ground Forum, Thursday August 2nd, 6:30pm at the Henegar Center, 625 E. New Haven Ave., Melbourne, FL. The topic of the forum will be: "Does the Trayvon Martin case prove Florida needs to repeal the Stand Your Ground law?" The controversial Stand Your Ground law was authored by members of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). The SCPA says that conservative corporate support organization also helped pass similar laws in 23 states by funneling support from corporate interests to state legislatures. Read more: http://www.alecexposed.org/wiki/ALEC_Exposed...

FORT WORTH -- As area gun owners browsed handguns, rifles and ammunition Saturday, some were touting "stand-your-ground" laws and urging more states to adopt similar provisions, even as a national debate continues over whether to repeal them after the February shooting death of a Florida teenager by a neighborhood watch coordinator. The Florida case, along with others in Texas and elsewhere, has focused on whether stand-your-ground laws should be scaled back or eliminated. But at a Fort Worth gun show Saturday, the focus was quite different. "It's sad that we have to worry about it, but that's the world we...

Jeff points me to a paper by Chandler McClellan and Erdal Tekin which begins as follows: The controversies surrounding Stand Your Ground laws have recently captured the nation’s attention. Since 2005, eighteen states have passed laws extending the right to self-defense with no duty to retreat to any place a person has a legal right to be, and several additional states are debating the adoption of similar legislation. Despite the implications that these laws may have for public safety, there has been little empirical investigation of their impact on crime and victimization. In this paper, we use monthly data from...

One of two people who died in a Liberty City shooting late Tuesday night made headlines three months ago when his lawyer beat a murder charge using a ‘stand your ground’ defense...

A few months ago, the Cato Institute sponsored a policy forum or expert discussion on self-defense laws, including the controversial ‘Stand Your Ground’ law. Among those speaking at the event was Massad Ayoob, the internationally renowned firearms and self-defense instructor. Ayoob, by most accounts, is a guru in the gun community. He’s been an editor at GUNS magazine and AMERICAN HANDGUNNER since the 1970s, and has published thousands of articles in gun publications, martial arts publications and law enforcement journals. AyoobBut as far as his writing goes, Ayoob is probably best known for his seminal work, ‘In the Gravest Extreme,’...

The FBI dispatched at least 10 special agents to Central Florida to investigate the Trayvon Martin shooting, records filed in Seminole County Court show. The agents interviewed up to a dozen firearms dealers, gun range employees and private investigators about George Zimmerman, according to a court document filed Friday by Assistant State Attorney Bernardo de la Rionda. Another 11 investigators from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement also joined the probe.

Ladd Everitt, the Director of Communications for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, is earning his pay once again. His latest screed, Why ‘Stand Your Ground’ is really ‘Kill at Will’, is a breathtaking example of the antis’ stock in trade: half-truths, untruths and flat out lies with a liberal sprinkling of logical fallacies. To wit: “What do you call a law that allows a person to shoot and kill another human being when they could otherwise walk away safely? I can only call it immoral.” When he starts the journey that way, you know it’s going to be a...

A jury has convicted a Texas man for murdering his neighbor during a confrontation over loud music two years ago, rejecting a claim that he was within his rights to fatally shoot the man under Texas' version of a "stand-your-ground" law. Raul Rodriguez, 47, faces up to life in prison for the killing of Kelly Danaher, 36. Sentencing is scheduled to begin today.

The United States Commission on Civil Rights is launching an investigation into the various state Stand Your Ground laws, as a responses to the controversy surrounding the killing of Florida teen Trayvon Martin. According to the Commission, the review will look at specific case studies like Floria and amass national statistics on who is affected and how effective the law is of suppressing crime.

Another large group of people marched down Walla Walla East Isaac’s Avenue last night demanding justice for Cesar Chavira. The 22-year-old was shot by New York Store owner John Saul May 4 during a foiled burglary attempt. “All this right here it’s just family, friends, the people who loved him, and the people who knew him,” Chavira’s friend Jessie said. Jessie said he understands Cesar made a bad choice to break into the store, but he didn’t deserve to die for the mistake. He said he won’t rest until justice is served. “We’ll take it civil, but either way he’s...

The mother of Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old whose death in Florida earlier this year ignited a controversy over "Stand Your Ground" self-defense legislation, taped a Web video in time for Mother's Day to advocate for policy change. In the video, released Friday by the Second Chance on Shoot First campaign, Sybrina Fulton urges viewers to send Mother's Day cards to governors nationwide, particularly in the 26 states that have passed "Stand Your Ground" laws, urging them to "re-examine" the legislation. "This will be my first Mother's Day without my son, Trayvon," Fulton says in the video. "On Sunday, I'm going...

House Democrats said Tuesday they will offer an amendment to push to overturn stand-your-ground self-defense laws in states like Florida. The amendment, which would withhold some grants from states that have such laws, will come as part of the House's debate on the Commerce Department spending bill. Emphasis added

Atlanta — Georgia is the first state having its “Stand Your Ground” law scrutinized by a federal court. An Atlanta civil rights leader filed a federal case challenging the law in response to the February shooting death of unarmed Florida teen, Trayvon Martin. Here’s how Georgia’s Stand Your Ground law works: If you think someone is about to kill you, you can use deadly force to defend yourself. It’s been Georgia law since 2006. But self defense can be a legal grey area. According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation the number of justifiable homicides in Georgia has increased per...

Viewpoint: Standing Up For “Stand Your Ground” Law May 1, 2012 “A person is justified in the use of deadly force and does not have a duty to retreat if he or she reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the imminent commission of a forcible felony.” Chapter 776.012, Florida Statutes Submitted by Rep. Matt Gaetz and Sen. Don Gaetz The shooting death of Trayvon Martin was a tragedy. Thankfully, our Constitution leaves it to a jury of twelve citizens, not a gaggle...

This is an email response I received regarding the predictable anti-gun hysteria following the sensationalization of the Trayvon Martin shooting, not to mention the hollow attacks against Florida's 'Stand Your Ground' laws. The United Sportsmen of Florida, led by the indomitable Marion Hammer, have provided here a rich source of information and facts regarding these current events, which I have transcribed.*** *** *** ALERT --- Protect Your Right To Refuse To Be A Victim -- Gov. Task Force DATE: April 20, 2012 TO: USF & NRA Members and Friends FROM: Marion P. Hammer, USF Executive Director, NRA Past President Florida...

Marion Hammer was 5 when she first held a gun in her hands. Her grandfather handed her a .22 bolt-action single-shot rifle and told her to hunt down a rabbit or a squirrel for dinner. She practiced first, aiming at cans lined up on the wooden fence. "I remember seeing a great big red tomato right on the front of that can," she recalled in 1995 as she ascended to the presidency of the powerful National Rifle Association. "And on my first shot, I drilled the tomato dead center." She's in her 70s now -- a 4-foot, 11-inch granny gone...