Informative Essay: Stand Your Ground Law

Zach Heyerhoff
Mr. Kadlec
Advanced Composition
26 March 2017
Stand Your Ground Law
One of the most recent, debatable topics in the United States today has become the Stand Your Ground Law. Although it is sometimes misunderstood, the basic definition of the law allows for the use of deadly force when being attacked without first having to retreat. When it comes to public opinion, middle ground does not exist between the advocates for the law, or the critics against it. The drastically different opinions of staunch critics and fervent advocates of the Stand Your Ground Law have made this a very controversial and divisive topic.
Many people may have a misunderstanding of this new law which leads to frequent debates. Stand Your Ground Law states

that “a person who is not engaged in an unlawful activity and who is attacked in any other place where he or she has a right to be has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly force, if he or she reasonably believes it is necessary to do so to prevent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the commission of a forcible felony” (Rabb, 1).

This means that if a person faces danger, he or she may prevent it from happening by using force without having to retreat first. But in states that do not have Stand Your Ground Laws, a person must first try to escape the threat of danger, or retreat, in order to use deadly force. But some people still do not have a clear idea of what the law actually entails. According to Bradford Cohen, many people wrongly believe that the Stand Your Ground defense has only paved the way to “a free-for-all shooting gallery” (1). However, in reality, this law only states that if you feel that you face grave danger, you may use deadly force to defend against it without having to run and hide first.
John Hay Rabb suggests that many supporters of Stand Your Ground Laws are reasonable, law-abiding, responsible citizens who happen to own guns (1). Advocates of the law agree with Rabb, and say they need this law because it makes them feel

safer, like they have a fighting chance in the face of grave danger (Kennedy, 2). Critics of this law in multiple states want to take the law away, but Kennedy and others in defense of the law say that people facing a violent criminal should have the right to defend themselves regardless of their location. They firmly believe in the right to defend themselves because that right has been in place for many years now and they just as strongly believe it should remain in place. “You shouldn’t have to think twice about protecting your family, whether it be with a firearm, knife, or your own two hands” (Dale, 3). People should have the legal right to protect themselves and their family without having to worry about being labeled as a “murderer”. Matt Gaetz, Republican State Representative in Florida, compared the State to the “Wild, Wild West” before Stand Your Ground Laws were enacted (Kennedy, 3). He believes that putting the power to defend themselves in the people's hands has “put criminals on notice” (Kennedy, 3). Gaetz feels that when responsible gun owners become threatened and they act upon the threat, criminals would grow less likely to try to mess with anyone else. Numerous amounts of law-abiding citizens and responsible gun owners do not want this law repealed because they believe that they use it effectively and appropriately. One man by the name of Jordan Beswick, had a run in with a burglar one night in his home. “Beswick grabbed his semi-automatic pistol and waited approximately five minutes outside the room where he heard the burglar attempting to enter. The burglar emerged from the room, and Beswick fired at him multiple times” (Krey, 1). This example from Beswick’s story shows the effective use of the Stand Your Ground Law. It demonstrates that he did not let the threat harm him and it shows how he just protected his home and himself from a criminal.
However, multiple critics would say that the story of Beswick only proved the ineffective use of the Stand Your Ground Law. Patrick Krey, a critic of the law, describes how even after Beswick protected himself from the threat, he left the building and went to the back to wait for the burglar to leave. But Beswick proceeded to shoot 6 times through the window and killed the burglar (1). Krey spotlights that example to suggest that people could use the Stand Your Ground Law as a device to get away with murder. This man says that some people simply do not care about the lives of anyone else and he thinks those people could go around ruining them. Activists against the law say that “short-tempered, trigger-happy individuals” will now have the legal right to gun down anybody they disagree with (Rabb, 1). Most critics of the law think that many of the gun owners will become more trigger-happy with this new law because they could simply claim they felt threatened. These critics have grown scared and feel vulnerable to other gun owners who might just start shooting at whoever they want. Some critics also say that this law tells gun owners, “Do this risky thing, this risky thing that could be avoided, and then we’ll help you” (Dale, 3). These critics talk about how gun owners could easily avoid most threats and incidents that make them feel the need to use deadly force. Mary Anne Franks, University of Miami law professor, suggests that Stand Your Ground Laws make people more comfortable and likely to use deadly force as an option. (Dale, 3). Critics say that gun owners find more situations where they feel like their life is in danger but in reality they will actually turn out alright. The people that carelessly pull out their weapon and start hurting others just because they might feel threatened, make everyone feel unsafe and make these critics want to get rid of Stand Your Ground Laws.
The fact that the Stand Your Ground Law involves the possibility of taking a human life in order to defend yourself or your family makes it a controversial and divisive topic.

Even though many misunderstandings and disagreements about the Stand Your Ground Law exist, several states have adopted the law. Yet people on both sides of this issue will probably always find it hard to agree with a different perspective about it than their

own.

Works Cited
Cohen, Bradford. "Law is Effective, Misunderstood." USA TODAY, 27 Mar 2012, pp.
A.6. SIRS Issues Researcher, http://sks.sirs.com.
Dale, Daniel. "Insurance to Help 'Get Away with Murder'." Toronto Star, 26 Sep 2016,
pp. A.1. SIRS Issues Researcher, http://sks.sirs.com.
Kennedy, John. "Florida House Panel Rejects Bid to Repeal 'Stand Your Ground' Law." Palm Beach Post, 08 Nov 2013, pp. p. A.1. SIRS Issues Researcher, http://sks.sirs.com.
Krey, Patrick. "Manslaughter?" The New American, 4 Mar. 2013, p. 40. General
OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=6795wesths&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA322904436&it=r&asid=0c2451a40e1d21da8e0de560a1ad7c82. Accessed 5 Mar. 2017.
Rabb, John Hay. "High noon in the Sunshine State: antigun forces claim that foreign
travelers may be hesitant to visit Florida due to the 'stand your ground' law." Guns & Ammo, Mar. 2006, p. 26+. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=6795wesths&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA255243752&it=r&asid=551297279341bf53da097b6712dcf366. Accessed 5 Mar. 2017.