stand your ground law
The "Stand Your Ground" statute states that “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” (Sherman). Many people will say that the “Stand your Ground” law is a great law that has diminished the crime rate, made people feel safer in their neighborhood and has given the people back the power to protect themselves and their loved ones from fatal danger. I would have to agree with them, but at the same time since the law was introduced in 2005, justifiable homicides have increased by 200%, the amount of concealed carry permits have gone up significantly and now there is not only a fear of the criminals but of everyone around them. Since 2005 numerous cases have been deemed “self-defense” and over 70% of the shooters were set free because of the claim that they stood their ground (Goodman). The concept of the law is a good one, but the specifics of the law need to be reviewed. Although the law has decreased the crime rate, the negative aspects of the law are far too great to be ignored; therefore something has to be done to prevent further miss use of the law.
Violent crime rates were up just slightly after the introduction of the law in 2005 and began to decline in 2008. According to an article published in the Tampa By Times by Angie Drobonic “By 2011, the violent crime rate had dropped 14 percent since 2005”. The fact is that there was a decrease in the crime rate, but according to Senator Chis Smith who was the House Democratic leader in 2005 when "stand your ground" passed "since the law's passage, deaths due to self-defense have jumped over 250 percent." That kind of percentage in anything
Violent crime rates were up just slightly after the introduction of the law in 2005 and began to decline in 2008. According to an article published in the Tampa By Times by Angie Drobonic “By 2011, the violent crime rate had dropped 14 percent since 2005”. The fact is that there was a decrease in the crime rate, but according to Senator Chis Smith who was the House Democratic leader in 2005 when "stand your ground" passed "since the law's passage, deaths due to self-defense have jumped over 250 percent." That kind of percentage in anything
Cited: Fallstrom, Jerry. "Concealed Weapon Permits On Rise As The Crime Rate Goes Up In Central Florida, More People Are Applying To Carry A Gun." Orlando Sentinel: 1. Jul 10 1994. ProQuest. Web. 1 Apr. 2014 . Angie, Drobinic H. "Crime Rates In Florida Have Dropped Since 'Stand Your Ground, ' Says Dennis Baxley." Tampa Bay TimesMar 23 2012. ProQuest. Web. 1 Apr. 2014 . Sherman, Amy. "Self-Defense Deaths In Florida Have Increased Dramatically Since 'Stand Your Ground ' Became Law In 2005, Lawmaker Claims." Tampa Bay TimesMar 26 2012. ProQuest. Web. 1 Apr. 2014 . Nolin, Robert, Kathleen Haughney and Dana Williams. "Killings Up Under '05 Florida Law Justifiable Cases Double After 'Stand Your Ground '." South Florida Sun - SentinelApr 01 2012. ProQuest. Web. 1 Apr. 2014 . Lantigua, John. " 'Stand Your Ground ' Self-Defense Raises More Questions than Answers." McClatchy - Tribune Business NewsOct 14 2012. ProQuest. Web. 1 Apr. 2014 . Goodman, Lee-Anne. " 'Stand Your Ground ' Laws Under Scrutiny." Telegraph-JournalJul 19 2013. ProQuest. Web. 4 Apr. 2014 Durbin, Dick. “It Is Time For Stand Your Ground Laws To Be Carefully Reconsidered” Lanham: Federal Information & News Dispatch, Inc, 2013. ProQuest. Web. 4 Apr. 2014.