In Florida - "Stand Your Ground" = legalized murder [View all]

[Hugabear]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by hootinholler (a host of the General Discussion forum).

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-03-19/news/os-trayvon-martin-law-beth-kassab-032012-20120319_1_castle-doctrine-unarmed-man-law-enforcement

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I haven't heard of any fatal disputes over the grocery check-out line, but in 2010 an unarmed man was shot and killed at a park near Tampa in a dispute over skateboarding rules. The victim's 10-year-old daughter watched her father die. A judge is currently considering whether the shooter merely stood his ground.

In 2008, a 15-year-old boy was killed during a shootout between two gangs in Tallahassee. Nobody was held accountable for the crime because a judge, citing the law, dismissed the charges.

And in January, a former Broward County sheriff's deputy shot and wounded a homeless man inside a Häagen-Dazs ice cream shop in Miami Lakes. He said the man was threatening him and his family. Police said charges were unlikely in that case as well.

Many of us warned this would happen. But nooooo, the gun-lovers argued. Guns aren't the problem. Law-abiding people aren't the problem. I remember the debate here on DU, with the usual suspects arguing in favor of turning Florida's streets into the Wild West.

Well guess what. George Zimmerman is still considered a "law abiding citizen" - even though he murdered someone in cold blood.