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In reply to the discussion: I live in an ungated suburban complex of townhomes. [View all]ProgressiveProfessor
(22,144 posts)17. You are incorrect in your points
Where do you think a law like "Stand your ground" comes from?
Questionable prosecutions for not retreating were the cited cause.
What kind of person would want it to exist?
Those who understand that being second guessed by people not there and often with little similar experience over action taken in a potentially life and death is not particularly helpful. In other words DAs who have never been mugged telling someone who just has been what they should have done.
Given the underlying fears and prejudices that exist in our society, from whom is the stand-your-grounder supposed to be protecting themselves from?
Legitimate self defense has nothing to do with fears and prejudices.
That law is simply Carte Blanche for people to shoot others that piss them off. The vast majority of people shot were unarmed, that's a fact.
Stand Your Ground has NOTHING to do with if deadly force was appropriate in any given circumstance. Those statutes remained unchanged, requiring a reasonable fear of great bodily injury or death.
What is the basis for your claim that "vast majority of people shot were unarmed"?
Add fear, prejudice and happy trigger fingers without consequence and you'll end up with dead people, killed for no reason at all.
Fear and prejudice have killed a lot of people over the centuries, firearms are one of many methods. There are serious consequences for killing without a legally justified reason, as I hope Zimmerman soon finds out.
Stand Your Ground is not the real issue here. It is just noise and nonsense. The key point is whether or not Zimmerman had reasonable fear of GBI or death. I cannot see how that can be true, based on what has been released so far.
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It hasn't yet been proven that either the 'stand your ground' law, or overt racism was the main
sikorsky
Mar 2012
#1
But your conclusion denies your premise (that we don't yet know. Isn't that confusing?)
sikorsky
Mar 2012
#3
"Stand your ground" is also the reason the killer wasn't taken in and questioned n/t
arcane1
Mar 2012
#5
I believe he was handcuffed, taken to the station and questioned, *then* released. n/t
X_Digger
Mar 2012
#8
Anyone who can look at the facts we know in this case: 1) The shooter was a self appointed
Vincardog
Mar 2012
#13
I'm certainly inclined to think Trayvon would like to have had the -option- to exercise it.
sikorsky
Mar 2012
#18
Oh… So, you're saying that he shouldn't have brought Skittles to a gun fight, right?
MrScorpio
Mar 2012
#21
I didn't explain it well at all because I didn't differentiate between tawdry and unlawful acts.
sikorsky
Mar 2012
#26
Open carry is better than concealed carry; people with guns should not grapple with others.
FarCenter
Mar 2012
#37