Group Calls for Repealing Stand Your Ground
February 18th, 2014 by flanewsThe former Vice Chairman of the Citizens Task Force that studied the state’s Stand Your Ground law is calling on Governor Rick Scott to repeal the law. The state never followed through on a study of how the law was being used.
In the wake of the Trayvon Martin death, Governor Rick Scott appointed a Citizens Task Force to study Stand Your Ground. Like many task force reports, this one went nowhere.
“Enough is enough,” says the task force’s Vice Chairman Rev. RB Holmes. With no action on the nine recommendations, Holmes says it’s time to abolish stand your ground. “The moral thing to do, is to fix this law, amend this law, or simply repeal this law,” says Holmes.
Trayvon Martin’s family attorney, Ben Crump, says the law discriminates against people of color. “We have to communicate that all life matters, all life is precious,” says Crump.
While the call is to repeal Stand Your Ground, lawmakers are much likely to lean towards repairing it. One bill would put limits on Neighborhood Watch volunteers. Another would allow people to fire a warning shot and not be guilty of a crime
Rep. Neil Combee (R-Lakeland) says it would allow somebody to say they have a gun and show it, rather than to shoot somebody and then claim Stand Your Ground.
Lawmakers were reluctant to do anything with the task force report or guns last year because the George Zimmerman trial was playing out. This year could be different, but a call from a retreat from Stand Your Ground is likely to fall on deaf legislative ears.
Differing versions of changes to Stand Your Ground are moving through the House and Senate Committees.
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