Dave Kopel, on Debunking the ‘stand your ground’ myth:
The actual law of Florida is that “a person is justified in the use of deadly force” if “(1) 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” (Florida Statutes, Section 776.012).
Somehow, “stand your ground” has been morphed into, “shoot first and ask questions later,” if we’re to believe self defense critics. A grand jury will report its findings, on Zimmerman’s actions, and the public will know soon enough.
I dont remember where I saw it, but one news outlet recently referred to the law as “allowing people to shoot if they feel threatened.”
Journalism is dead.