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Stand your ground law essay
Stand your ground law is unjust
Essays on issues with the stand your ground law
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“Stand Your Ground” laws were made to protect individuals and their communities by giving them the right to bear arms. People in favor of keeping the laws help reduce crime, while individuals against these laws think that the laws should be removed because they actually do the opposite of the law’s intended purpose. The “Stand Your Ground” laws should not be implemented because they harm and individual’s attempt to be responsible for his or her community because the laws can be used as an excuse for people to commit a gun-related crime, plus racism is still an issue. It is very common for people to use the “Stand Your Ground” laws as an excuse for them to commit a murder or injure someone badly. “The doctrine of self-defense was never intended to protect individuals who stalk or pursue victims and then resort to deadly force when their victims fight back,” former NAACB leader, Benjamin Jealous said. Individuals could use …show more content…
said laws to “defend” themselves even after he or she started the assault. Criminals are using “Stand Your Ground” laws in their favor and that’s the complete opposite of what the laws were made for. Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, parents of Trayvon Martin said, “After Trayvon’s death, law enforcement used the law as an excuse to refuse to arrest George Zimmerman.” Trayvon was one of many cases of the misuse of “Stand Your Ground” laws. While the Martin family mourned, Zimmerman walked free. Not only are the murderers able to accomplish their crimes thanks to these laws, but police officers also have the “I need guns to protect myself” mentality, causing even more injustice. Racism is still and issue in the United States and it affects the efficiency of the “Stand Your Ground” laws greatly.
Jealous also notes, “When white shooters kill black victims, nearly 36 percent of the resulting homicides are deemed justifiable yet when black shooters kill white victims, only 3 percent were ruled justifiable.” Jurors and/or judges somewhat prejudice against different races. This means that some white individual might get away with murdering someone using the laws in their side, while a black individual might not. An in-depth case file of the Trayvon Martin case says, “Zimmerman pulled a gun from a holster on his waist and shot Martin… Zimmerman claimed self-defense and was found not guilty…” Zimmerman was able to successfully get away with murdering Martin thanks to these laws that have caused people from specific races to be biased towards people of their own race. In this case Zimmerman was white while Martin was black. The fact that people still look down upon other races is a reality that makes these laws almost
obsolete. The main issues with “Stand Your Ground” laws risk the lives of people by allowing others to save theirs. Even after a killer is in trial he has a higher chance of being acquitted depending on his race. The “Stand Your Ground” laws should be challenged because they do not help anybody except criminals who want to kill someone and be free after doing so, but even if it was one of the few cases of self-defense, the decision of the case will probably be biased by race. If these problems are solved, society will be better and safer without the need of violence that simply does not belong in this generation.
On the night of February 26, 2012 “George Zimmerman who was the coordinator for his Sanford neighborhood watch association is charged with second-degree murder in the death of a young boy. Trayvon Martin, an unarmed high school student from Miami, Florida. (Alvarez) The case began in a small city of Sanford as a routine homicide but soon evolved into a civil rights case, examining racial profiling. On the night of the attack Zimmerman was told not to get out of his car when he was following Trayvon. He described Trayvon as a “guy who looks up to no good, or he’s on drugs or something” Trayvon had his back to Zimmerman the whole time he was on the phone with the Dispatcher, from what the conversation was saying. When the dispatcher asked Zimmerman “is the guy white, black, or Hispanic? “Zimmerman says that he “looks” black, Zimmerman still has yet to see if Trayvon was black, white, or even Hispanic because Trayvon was walking the other direction. Later on in the conversation is when Zimmerman said “now he’s just staring at me”. That would have been the right time to mention the race of Trayvon. As the dispatcher was asking mo...
... Till, Evers, King and Martin all seem to be cases of stereotyping and racial profiling. These cases make it seem as if justice was not served and that the wrong verdict was rendered initially. That is the same situation with the Zimmerman vs. Martin case. . Hopefully justice will prevail, in time, just as in the cases cited and George Zimmerman will be placed behind bars for a long time; the place where he belongs. If history repeats itself, a wrong verdict will be overturned.
Young Trayvon Martin was killed because of racial profiling. Due to the way he was dressed, in all black with a hoodie, he was seen as a threat. Trayvon had no intentions to hurt anyone, he carried no weapon, but just because the way he looked he was murdered. Racial profiling is wrong in many ways. The history of racial profiling and the psychology proves that racial profiling is nothing but an excuse for blatant racism. Humans are not put on this earth to be wrongly accused simply by the way that they look. How a person lives or dies should not be based on racial profiling which is an immoral and unethical tactic.
For example, in Jacksonville, Florida, Jordan Davis, another unarmed teenager was killed by Michael Dunn. Davis and other teenagers were riding in a SUV with music blasting from the vehicle, when Dunn pulled up alongside of them and asked them to turn the music down . Words was exchanging between the two parties, and Dunn fired 8 to 9 shots into the SUV where he fatally shot Davis. Dunn was arrested and charged with first degree murder. Dunn claimed he fired in self-defense and invoked the “Stand Your Ground law” as his defense. ...
The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution states that individuals have the right to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and impacts, against absurd searches and seizures, yet the issue close by here is whether this additionally applies to the ventures of open fields and of articles in plain view and whether the fourth correction gives insurance over these also. With a specific end goal to reaffirm the courts' choice on this matter I will be relating their choices in the instances of Oliver v. United States (1984), and California v. Greenwood (1988) which bargain straightforwardly with the inquiry of whether an individual can have sensible desires of protection as accommodated in the fourth correction concerning questions in an open field or in plain view.
Is people going to forget what happen in Ferguson? How about George Zimmerman being proven not guilty? Or that Eric Garner was screaming “ I can’t breathe” before his death? There are lists of African Americans all over the world who were not given the justice that they deserved. In todays, news African Americans are being treated unfairly compared to any other demographic groups. America is the greatest country in the world, but it is difficult to believe that being in the 21st century racism still does exist. For instance, when it was time to remove the confederate flag, some demographic groups had a hard time letting go. People who argue that “blue lives matter,” which states that police are justified when using force and being unfair. These reasons are not justifiable enough to kill someone. Black Lives Matter alleges that police target and use
Many politicians and public figures had shared their opinions about the campus carry law, William H. McRaven a for Navy SEAL, and former commander of the United States Special operations forces who raided and directed the killing of Osama bin Laden, and the chancellor of the University of Texas opposed to having weapons on campus. A man who has many guns and has a love for many guns, says that it will not make campuses any safer than they are now. McRaven also was a public figure that joined with the interest groups and stated why he thought the weapons on campus would not be a good idea. Texas senator Brian Birdwell, who is a republican, the bill’s chief architect, and a retired Army Lieutenant agrees with the campus carry on law. Many universities
“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed” is stated in the United States Constitution as the Second Amendment. Several Americans wish to rid of guns from citizens, disobeying and disrespecting the Constitution. I shot my first gun when I was young and have always been surrounded by them. My neighbor does not leave the house without carrying one, nor does my eighteen year old friend. Never once have I felt unsafe or uneasy knowing that there was a gun close to me. The right to bare arms has become a popular local battle in which some people want to reduce the freedom of one owning firearms while others wish for the
For hundreds of years Americans have been growing up with the notion that it is a right to own a gun. Since the creation of the second amendment, people all over the United States have been able to guns for private use. Guns operated by the public are said to have a variety of uses such as, being able to protect oneself if conflict arises, grants the ability to put food on the table, and are used in competitions shooting targets against other people. But for many people guns have been seen as the root of all evil. Anti-gun users think that guns cause a variety of unexpected and innocent deaths. They also think that there are not enough laws in place that allow just about anyone to purchase a gun. The question of should guns be legal to all citizens has plagued our society. Do you think it is morally right for anyone to arm themselves and use it when they deem it to be necessary? Or do you think that the 2rd amendment seem unnecessary and outdated law that needs to be rewritten? These questions are just two of many that have thrown back and forth between pro-gun and anti-gun users.
One of the most important amendments in the United States Constitution and which is also part of the Bill of Rights is the Fourth amendment. The Fourth Amendment protects people from being searched or arrested by police officers or any law enforcement without a reason. An officer may confront you and ask to search your house but if they don’t have a search warrant, they cannot legally pursue it without good reason and permission from a judge. Now what happens when a person is being arrested? Does the police or any law enforcement need a search warrant? The answer to that question would have to be no. This is where “Search incident to arrest” comes into play. Search incident to arrest (SITA), which could also be called the Chimel rule, is a
When someone is taken into custody they are read certain rights. These rights are called the Miranda rights. These insure that everyone knows what rights they have upon being arrested. Once arrested the police officer must read the rights. Included in the right are the right to remain silent and the right to a lawyer. For people that cannot afford a lawyer the lawyer will be appointed. Before the rights were implemented people would think they had to tell the police everything they saw or did, also by police stating the rights the people know that they have the right to a lawyer.
For example, according to Dara lind “Officer’s aren’t supposed to shoot to kill. They’re supposed to do whatever is necessary to disable the threat”(Lind). Whenever an officer gets caught up in a difficult situation where deadly force is needed for the most part officers do shoot to kill because they feel like there life is in danger themselves. Yes like they said they are supposed to do whatever is necessary so therefore if shooting to kill someone is necessary to them then for police officers it is the right thing to do. But in reality in some occasions deadly force by a cop resulting in someone’s death is not needed and there should be other alternatives to handle difficult problems like that. In addition, “Usually, the point from where the officer believes he has to use deadly force to the point where he uses deadly force -- where he pulls
Was justice really served in the “State of Florida vs. George Zimmerman” case? Is our justice system fair to all races? This case is about a 16 year old kid from Miami named Trayvon Martin. On the night of February 26th, Trayvon walked from his father's house in a gated community to a nearby store. When walking back he was spotted by George Zimmerman, a 28-year-old neighborhood watch volunteer. There had been a number of break-ins in the neighborhood over the last few weeks and Zimmerman though that a young black man walking in the rain and wearing a hooded sweatshirt looked suspicious. Zimmerman then called 911 to report this person who "might be on drugs." He then got out of his car and...
“Pro-gun” groups will argue that any person who is trained in the use of firearms have the right to own a firearm (Lindgren, 2015). When the Second Amendment was written in 1791, flintlock rifles were the standard firearm which were very inaccurate and, with a skilled shooter, only shot about two rounds a minute (Bowman, 2016). Since then, advances in weaponry have dramatically increased, further outdating the amendment. However, to supplement the Second Amendment, The Omnibus Crime Control and the Federal Gun Control Act of 1968 significantly increased regulations of obtaining firearms and ammunition (Vizzard, 2015). To further fuel debates about the Second Amendment, lawmakers passed the Stand Your Ground Act, which protects the rights of a private citizen to defend themselves through deadly force if they feel their life is being imminent (Mantel,
In the national registration of exoneration, 2111 people being released for a crime they didn't commit. Out of the 2111 people, 985 were black and the other 1126 were a combination of caucasian, hispanic and others. The statistics shows that, almost half of the people exonerated were innocent black people. A black person that is convicted of murdering a white victim is 50% more likely to be innocent of that crime. The law enforcement targeting black males, as caused society to see black males in a dangerous point of view. The story Trayvon Martin, a 17 year old boy who was gunned down because his killer George zimmerman chose to not listen to the police instruction. On his way home after buying a bag of skittles and a can of iced tea from 7-eleven Trayvon was approached by Zimmerman. Zimmerman confronted Trayvon because he suspected him of doing something, which resulted in both men fighting on the floor. Tayvion was killed during this altercation by Zimmerman’s gun, and zimmerman was arrested for it. Even after ignoring the police instruction of not to approach Trayvon, he was released on the plea of self defense. According to Blow (2012), “One other point:Trayvon is black Zimmerman is not.” In making this case, Blow acknowledge the theory of how the death of black males are not taken seriously by law