FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A task force examining Florida’s “stand your ground” self-defense law was told Thursday that the Trayvon Martin shooting is one example of the law’s ambiguity and the potential unintended consequences it has created.
“What we’ve discovered is, in a drug deal gone bad, people die, and this is the defense,” Buddy Jacobs, general counsel for the Florida Prosecuting Attorneys Association, told the 18-member panel. “Our conclusion is that this law ought to be repealed. We don’t think it’s a thing we can tweak.”
The 2005 law is under nationwide scrutiny following the Feb. 26 shooting in Sanford of the unarmed, 17-year-old Martin by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman. Martin’s family and supporters want Zimmerman arrested, but police say they were prevented from doing so because of the law. At least 20 other states have similar stand your ground laws.
The task force organizer, state Sen. Chris Smith of Fort Lauderdale, said the 7-year-old law has been controversial in past cases and likely will be again long after the Martin case has faded from national attention.
“It did not begin and it will not end with the Trayvon Martin case,” said Smith, a Democrat. “There is a lot of misconception and misunderstanding around the state. It can lead to dangerous incidents.”
The task force — which includes prosecutors, defense attorneys, police executives and politicians — could advocate repeal or specific changes or decide not to make recommendations, Smith said. It’s unclear whether the Republican-controlled Legislature would consider any of its proposals, particularly since GOP Gov. Rick Scott has pledged to appoint his own task force after the Martin investigation is complete.
It is good to hear that Florida is policing its own laws. These are the people who need to be looking at the law and putting it to the legal test. Obviously something is wrong. The Trayvon Martin case tells us something just isn’t right. Is it the law? Is it the Sanford Police Department? Is it the local and state prosecutors?
Ultimately, it will be Florida who decides what to do with this controversial law. I expect that the real decision maker will be how badly Florida’s tourism is hit, if at all, by this tragic case.
More about the task force:
http://floridastandyourground.org/
What I do not understand is how the Stand Your Ground law can shield Zimmerman. A kid is walking down the street – minding his own business – and some one follows him, confronts him (Zimmerman got out of the car on his own) – and then ends up killing an unarmed victim.
How is this different from a mugger or a rapist – can they shoot the victim, and claim self defense – it does not seem logical to me.
I don’t understand it either Pat. I suspect it is because there is only 1 witness. The other one is dead. That becomes problematic when this is the case every time this law comes in to play.
An interesting listen.
http://www.cato.org/multimedia/daily-podcast/trayvon-martin-stand-ground-laws