are "stand your ground" laws license to kill?

One of the jurors in the trial on the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman said she thinks Zimmerman got away with murder.Now we have another case ...Michael Dunn Jury Goes Second Day of Deliberations Without Verdict - ABC News

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The Florida jury in the murder trial Michael Dunn ended its second day of deliberations without a verdict.

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It's like he claims after the fact that it was self defense and made up a lot of his own testimony -- testimony that is contradicted by his fiance, the other boys in the car, and his behavior after the shooting.Will the "stand your ground" law allow him to get away with murder?

Thanks to ALEC these laws have spread like a fungus to several states now, and they are a move in the wrong direction.

'Stand Your Ground' Linked To Increase In Homicides : NPR

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Comparing States

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This chart, based on data provided by Texas A&M researcher Mark Hoekstra, compares homicide rates in states that have stand your ground laws with homicide trends in states that don't have the laws. The vertical y-axis represents an adjusted homicide rate that takes into account a state's population, pre-existing crime trends and other factors.

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"Our study finds that, that homicides go up by 7 to 9 percent in states that pass the laws, relative to states that didn't pass the laws over the same time period," he says.

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As to whether the laws reduce crime by creating a deterrence for criminals he says, "we find no evidence of any deterrence effect over that same time period."

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"We find that there are 500 to 700 more homicides per year across the 23 states as a result of the laws," he said. There are about 14,000 homicides annually in the United States as a whole.

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Another study I saw showed a 3x increase in gun deaths since passing these absurd laws.It goes from ridiculous to absurd: both Zimmerman and Dunn instigated the confrontations before claiming they had to defend themselves, but now ... South Carolina

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n armed intruder is making a Stand Your Ground argument in a murder trial, saying he shouldn’t be prosecuted for shooting and killing the man whose home he broke into because it looked as though the man was about to shoot him first.

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Really???At least their supreme court is stepping in ... sort of ...

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The arguments the high court wants to hear apparently don’t involve the substance of the law — they involve at what point in a trial process a judge should hold a full hearing about whether evidence can be introduced about whether the defendant can assert that he enjoys immunity from prosecution because he was in fear for his life when he used deadly force. If a judge were to grant immunity, then a trial would not have to be held.

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But there is hope ... New Hampshire

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The Democrat-controlled New Hampshire House of Representatives voted narrowly Wednesday to approve legislation that would repeal the state's Stand Your Ground law.

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The bill's passage sets the stage for debate in the Republican-controlled state Senate over the future of a law first approved in 2011. ...

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If nothing else these laws should not apply to people that instigate confrontations.Really.

And I would expect more criminals to carry guns and use them without waiting to see if their victim has a gun.Is that a good thing?When you escalate an arms race you increase the use of arms for lethal purposes.Is that a good thing?Really?

Indeed, and they'll be happy to tell you how ready they are, how prepared, how well trained ...... and without a clue that there are options. It's all (ahem) black and white in their world.

In both Zimmerman and Dunn cases they instigated the confrontation, they attacked and they were on the offensive, then claimed that it was defense.Without stand your ground they would not have passed muster for self defense -- as Dunn did not for the other three teens, and that is why the law is bad.Edited by RAZD, : ...

Curiously I didn't say he attacked, I said he instigated the confrontation, which he did by stalking Trevon. After he was told to stand down by the police. No, there is evidence that there was a fight, but you only have Zimmerman's (biased) word as to who started it, and how much does stalking count ... What planet are you from? That's how he got off, and why one of the jurors said he "got away with murder." Agreed, and the other thing they didn't pursue was whether or not it was a hate crime -- and all the evidence that points to hate crime was then not admitted, when that shows the state of mind of Dunn. With hate crime evidence they could have gotten murder 1.Edited by RAZD, : ..

You would think it would work that way, but the evidence of instances of blacks defending themselves in Florida is that the "stand your ground" argument was not allowed and they were convicted ...With the same prosecutor ... is she showing bias in her results?

Ok ... "they attacked" Was or was not "stand your ground" included in the instructions to the jury ?Zimmerman verdict renews focus on 'stand your ground' laws

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The case centered around whether Zimmerman acted in self defense and drew national attention to Florida's law, which allows people to defend themselves with force if they feel threatened in their home, business, car, or a place where they "have a legal right to be." At least 22 states have a similar law, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

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Do you disagree that it was central to his acquittal?Edited by RAZD, : .

Sorry, the only evidence for that is Zimmerman, and from what I have seen it is rather questionable at best: DNA Report does NOT support Zimmerman's claim that Trayvon Martin caused his injuries
Did Trayvon Martin attack George Zimmerman first?
George Zimmerman: Left hand, right holsterSo I don't buy it. Curiously I think you should have more evidence than just your word if you kill someone. White mother Hispanic father, with known bias against blacks. You don't have to be white to be a bigot.Edited by RAZD, : ..

At a minimum then, there should be a ruling that no element of the "stand your ground" law can be used unless a hearing is held.Does this need to go to the supreme court to get rid of it?

So why is it shown backwards (mirrored) and blue? weird.