http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/article1233133.ece
This bit of research from the Tampa Bay News reveals much about the Florida version of the Stand your Ground law.
200 killings
70% of those who claimed self defense walked
the killings included several cases of persons shot in the back. How do you pose a deadly threat to a person when you are walking away from him?
One shooter killed two unarmed people and still walked.
The racial stats were different. 59% of those who killed whites walked. But 73% of those who killed blacks walked. Why? Are the lives of black people worth less?
When you read the summary of the cases, you realize that it is simply chaos. Two similar cases are treated completely differently in different parts of the state. The law is so sloppily written that judges and prosecutors do not know what the hell to do. So they end up just believing the shooter unless they can find an eyewitness to contradict him- which is rare because most of the shootings had no witnesses.
The US justice system assumes that you are innocent until proven guilty, sure. But you killed somebody, that is NOT in dispute. It seems that the burden of proof should be on you, if you killed somebody, to prove that you were in danger of death at the time. But no, all you have to say is "I THOUGHT I was in danger" and you walk- no matter how many people you kill, and no matter if they were unarmed.
It's just weird and silly. It makes me think of the justice system in Soviet Russia- it's not really about right and wrong anymore.
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Comments: 5
You made a large statement there and are just pushing it down on all states. That's nonsense.
The other large group in Florida ae old people. Older people go there from all over America to retire.
Read some conservative site also to be sure you get well rounded information.
I'm really not defending them so much as holding back my judgment. One of the Bush brothers was their governer & he seems like a non radical person ... although I'm not sure if he put in that law or the current Governor
Given that all states have laws that consider self-defense, what "protection" does this added layer of law give that a person wouldn't already have?
The fact that the law was pushed by ALEC - the right wing lobbying group - and the NRA and other right wing groups, the rationale for passing such a law is clear.
I'm sure if it causes more trouble than it's worth, it will go away. It will be interesting to see what happens.