Why The 'Stand Your Ground' Law Is God's Gift To Floridians

The Hope For America ^ | 3/22/12 | Me

[careyb]

By now the whole world knows just enough about the George Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin case to be dangerous.

Let's all concede that it's a tragedy that a 17-year-old boy was gunned down. No one should be happy about that.

But beyond that, the media enjoy flashing headlines like "Florida 'Stand Your Ground' Law May Complicate Zimmerman Case". And the usual assortment of gun control nuts have used this incident to exploit the death of a teenager, and call for a repeal of said 'Stand Your Ground' law.

Some have taken the tragedy all the way to Presidential politics. Leftist bloggers make note of the fact that Jeb Bush, who signed the 'Stand Your Ground' law, endorsed Mitt Romney while this story was in the media spotlight.

So what is this 'Stand Your Ground' law? Here is the relevant provision:

"A person who is not engaged in an unlawful activity and who is attacked in any other place where he or she has a right to be has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly force if he or she reasonably believes it is necessary to do so to prevent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the commission of a forcible felony."

Simply put: The 'Stand Your Ground' law allows you to fight back.

Simplier put: If someone is attacking you or one of your loved ones, feel free to use your gun to kill the bastard.

And that's why this law is so important, and why Florida legislators should resist efforts from civil rights activists and gun control groups to repeal it. It specifically grants certain protections to the intended victim and puts the criminal in danger of reprisal.

It's an added element of crime prevention. If a violent offender thinks that whoever he is targeting will use deadly force in return, maybe that violent offender will think twice before committing the crime.

Unlike many pundits, I won't pretend to know the exact circumstances surrounding the Martin shooting. However, with as much as press as the 'Stand Your Ground' law has recently received, I'm willing to bet that a lot of would-be violent criminals in Florida are having second thoughts.

And that's a good thing.

[RedMonqey]

The answer to #2 and # is a resounding “YES!!

[RedMonqey]

Correction.

The answer to #2 and #3 is a resounding “YES!!

[RedMonqey]

Correction.

The answer to #2 and #3 is a resounding “YES!!

[SandwicheGuy]

And that is THE FACT that really matters.

The FACT is the guy is dead because he was dead right. I understand what you are saying and I agree. But in a perfect world communism works as well, can we agree?. Now flash back to your Driver Training classes, where it was explained that you were to take any action to avoid an accident, running over lawns, bikes, cats and whatever. You were taught to YIELD the right of way if not doing so would cause and accident. It is prudent to take that philosophy into other areas of your life as well. You don't believe me, go tell your wife her behind is getting big and get back on me about the wisdom of always being right.

[midcop402]

When you start out wrong, more than likely the rest of what you say is wrong.
The dispatcher said in response to zimmerman saying he was going to follow the suspicious person was ‘we don’t need you to do that’ is was said in a very casual way. Not even the most radical translation suggests that this was an order.
This means #2 is wrong.
3-doesn’t matter.
4-you are correct but it doesn’t matter
5-you are correct but it doesn’t matter
6-doesn’t matter
7-you are correct but in this case, you are wrong.
So, basically, your position is incorrect as stated.

I teach the legal aspect of a CPL class so I am following this very closely. I do tell people not to engage unless there is a threat to self or loved ones.

What led to the confrontation has little bearing to the actual moment of threat. As long as Zimmerman had the legal right to be where he was, he is covered under castle. In this case, he was legally where he was.

[RedMonqey]

Now flash back to your Driver Training classes, where it was explained that you were to take any action to avoid an accident, running over lawns, bikes, cats and whatever. You were taught to YIELD the right of way if not doing so would cause and accident.

Come on, now!1 Do you really think the only option Z. had was to get out of his car on confront the boy?

Here are come things he could have done:

1) Call the cops (which he did)

2)Follow him and observe his actions

2)Continue following him until the police arrives

3)Continue following him until he either:


a)Enters a residence with owners approval.
b)Leaves the neighborhood.
c) Commits or is in process of committing crime which demands immediate lifesaving intervention.

4)Go home and watch tv.

Zimmerman had plenty of options of which thousands of prudent neighborhood watchers and gunowners do across the nation every day. However he decided to be Marshal Dillion and found out TV is a lousy teacher. .

As the old Grail Knight said in the Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade movie

" He chose poorly."

[tomkat]

Amen

(counts double cuz i don't usually frequent bloggers ;-)

[djf]

Most people can’t seem to turn this around at all.

If I was walking (WALKING!! NOT RUNNING!) in a neighborhood that I didn’t live in, but was vaguely familiar with, what would happen if some blow-hard sheriff wannabee zoomed up and accosted me with a ton of questions that basically were none of his dam business anyways?

Depending on my mood, heck, I might take a swing at him.

And tell ya what. Alot of FReepers would say the same thing!

[SandwicheGuy]

Zimmerman had plenty of options of which thousands of prudent neighborhood watchers and gunowners do across the nation every day. However he decided to be Marshal Dillion and found out TV is a lousy teacher. .

Look, you want to take the dead guy's side, good for you and you deserve a cookie. You talk about the shooter's responsibilities but nary a mention of the dead guy's part in this. He could have prevented his being dead too, you know. Sure, you can say he is right, but then I can AGAIN say he was dead right. He copped an attitude, beat the shooter, and was deaded as a result. This is a teachable moment if you choose to accept it; it took too to make this accident.

[RedMonqey]

After searching the net I found and listened to 911 call.

Here's my corrections

1) The 911 operator said "We don't need you to do to that" which is copspeak for "Don't do that." The 911 operator and Zimmerman agreed to meet at a specific location. Zimmerman agreed but choice instead to go after Martin. If they knew that Zimmerman was armed and intend to confront the kid they would have dropped the politeness and told him to remain in his car. If you think the cops would OK his actions then that's your problem.

2) He did leave the car and proceeded to intercept the kid. Again, against the advice of the 911 operator and failed to meet with the cops as he agreed to do.

3)It does matter as Zimmerman is proceeding on a false premise that Martin is up to no good and possible on drugs.

4)According to Florida’s justifiable use of force statute you have the right to defend yourself. Section 776.012, in relevant part: “A person is justified in using force, except deadly force, against another when and to the extent that the person reasonably believes that such conduct is necessary to defend himself or herself or another against the other’s imminent use of unlawful force.”

Getting a bloody is not cause for deadly force. Martin had no weapons but Zimmerman certainly did. Zimmerman has stalked and cornered Martin, not the other way around. It is Martin who has every reason(and rightfully so)to fear for his life. One can and will in court argue that Martin has the law on his side.

5)just stating the obvious.

6)That's an incredible statement coming from someone whose job it is to teach people the correct way to handle firearms in such a situation. Zimmerman's whole case depends upon the proper situations regarding the use of deadly force.
If, using your own logic, the rest of your statments are equally faulty but I will correct your mistakes.

7) Zimmerman provoked the altercation with Martin, he is not entitled to claim self-defense.

Under Section 776.041, use of force is not justifiable under the statute to a person who initially provokes the use of force against himself or herself, unless: “(a) such force is so great that the person reasonably believes that he or she is in imminent danger of death or great bodily harm and that he or she has exhausted every reasonable means to escape such danger other than the use of force which is likely to cause death or great bodily harm to the assailant; or (b) In good faith, the person withdraws from physical contact with the assailant and indicates clearly to the assailant that he or she desires to withdraw and terminate the use of force, but the assailant continues or resumes the use of force.”

. Martin was armed only with a bag of Skittles and a can of Arizona Iced Tea. Zimmerman had a 9mm handgun. Zimmerman place himself in this situation, had the greater ability to inflict bodily harm and initiate contact.

He will most likely escape any jail time as time and critical evidence has slipped away. It is only by the luck he had an thoroughly incompetent police force investigate this shooting.

Under any other reasonably compete law enforcement agency this man would force criminal charges.

[RedMonqey]

He copped an attitude, beat the shooter, and was deaded as a result. This is a teachable moment if you choose to accept it; it took too to make this accident.

I pray the day doesn't come when an armed vigilante comes round your neighborhood, provokes you(or your loved ones) into exchanging a few choice words, a fight ensues, you take a swing at him, he pulls out a weapon and leaves you dying in the dust.

Courtesy of the lead slugs embedded in your chest.

He will call it self-defense and your relatives will call the mortuary.

After all, you "copped an attitude" and he adjusted yours.

Or as you call it, an teachable moment"

[RedMonqey]

Depending on my mood, heck, I might take a swing at him. And tell ya what. Alot of FReepers would say the same thing!

That's what so hypocritical about all this. Most Freepers, at least judging by their posts, would be howling mad if someone(whether actually LEOs or their wannabee counterparts) dared approach them without cause. Forget about laying their hands on them if they tried to walk away from the inquiring nosey interloper.

But then there are alot of keyboard commandos in FR as well as other websites.

(Sigh)

[Oztrich Boy]

The “kid” was a 17-year-old, 6’2” football player. Zimmerman is short and chubby

OK lets do a comparison; one on one

My money's on the short chubby guy with the gun, not the tall skinny black.

[Oztrich Boy]

According to some reports it happened on Martin's father's lawn.

NO. Martin's father only found out that Martin was dead when he reported him missing the next day and was told: yeah we've got a John Doe matching that description with a bullet in him. Is he yours?

[RedMonqey]

If gun right supporters are going to run to defend every nut that fight will be lost. More and more I see utter knee jerk reaction on FR.

What they fail to understand that This is the exact type of case to stereotype gun owners as dimwitted "shoot first then ask questions later" loose cannons. This is the exact type of trap that Limbaugh fell for. And although the shooter is Hispanic they successfully pigeonholed him as redneck racist from the South.

They think they are defending the "Stand Your Ground " law but they are actually torpedoing it for responsible gun owners wishing to rightfully defend their family from real threats, not some poor slub walking home armed with skittles and iced tea

[RedMonqey]

I stand corrected.....

[SandwicheGuy]

Your retort is called putting up a straw man. Have another cookie, it is good for your sugar level.

[RedMonqey]

In this case the black fellow should be prosecuted just as Zimmerman should be because no ones life nor property was in danger until Zimmerman needlessly and foolishly confronted the young man....