"Stand Your Ground" Laws: Self-Defense or License to Kill?

Featuring Clayton E. Cramer, Historian, Co-author, Cato study, Tough Targets: When Criminals Face Armed Resistance from Citizens; Massad Ayoob, Firearms Trainer, author of In the Gravest Extreme; Steven Jansen, Vice President, Association of Prosecuting Attorneys; moderated by Tim Lynch, Director, Project on Criminal Justice, Cato Institute.

I didn't even notice Ayoob on the roster when I started listening to the podcast, but upon listening to the presenters realize that this is a very well-balanced and informed line-up. Most arguments revolving around the Martin/Zimmerman case lately have been emotionally-driven, based on opinions rather than facts. This presentation should be viewed by anyone who is forming an opinion over that case, or of self-defense rights in general, in order to better education the populace on law and common sense.

Since the tragic shooting death of Trayvon Martin, Florida's Stand Your Ground law has come under intense scrutiny. Florida governor Rick Scott is presently forming a task force to reexamine that state's law. Critics argue that such laws have led to shootouts over petty disputes and have hampered police investigations with a sweeping grant of legal immunity. Supporters of the Stand Your Ground law say it does not apply to the Martin case and that such laws merely protect those who use a firearm in self-defense from prosecution and financially ruinous litigation. Join us for a discussion of what these laws actually cover and what has happened in the 24 states that have enacted them since 2005.

"Stand Your Ground" Laws: Self-Defense or License to Kill? | Cato Institute: Policy Forum