Thread: Eric Holder
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Eisboch[_9_] Eisboch[_9_] is offline
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Default Eric Holder

Eric Holder is questioning why we need "stand your ground" statutes.

You know what? I agree with him.

We don't need them. Castle law (which covers what happens in your
home) does not have a requirement to retreat in most states.
Stand your ground is just an extension of Castle laws, eliminating the
requirement to retreat when outside of your home. It also has
immunity to civil action (if found not guilty) but that could and
should be applied to Castle law if it isn't already.

The right to use deadly force in self defense is justified in every
state of the country. It needs to meet certain criteria, most
importantly being that there is no retreat possible and you are
convinced you are in imminent danger of serious bodily harm or death.
Self defense laws have been on the books for years.

I realize that the Zimmerman trial was not based on stand your ground
statues, but it had many of the elements of one including the same
language used in the judge's jury instructions. The juror who is
currently giving interviews is the wife of a lawyer. Some of her
statements cause me to believe that there was some confusion in jury
discussions about stand your ground and self defense trials.

Having this "Stand your Ground" statute makes it way too easy for
people to over-react, kill and then not have to justify their actions.
It fosters a cavalier attitude about taking someone's life. It's
also one of the reasons Zimmerman wasn't charged with anything until
political pressure resulted in his arrest and charge 45 days later.
Would Zimmerman's trial outcome have been different if "Stand your
Ground" statues didn't exist? Probably not. He was found not guilty
based on self defense statutes. But I think the Stand your Ground
statues had an affect on the jury.

I imagine there are many who will disagree, but that's how I feel.
In the state I live in we have a Castle law but no "Stand your Ground
outside of your home". That's ok with me. I still carry
occasionally and if I were ever in a situation that required deadly
force, I'd make damn well sure I felt it was justified. The rest
would be up to the courts.