BATTLE TO REPEAL MICHIGAN STAND YOUR GROUND LAW
ACTIVIST REV. CHARLES WILLIAMS WANTS STAND YOUR GROUND LAW OVER TURNED IN MICHIGAN OK YEAH RIGHT IT WON #39;T HAPPEN TO REPEAL MICH, STAND YOUR GROUND IS THE WRO...
By: Walter Gildersleeve
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Stand Your Ground Law and the Irrelevance of Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin
Al Sharpton and Trayvon Martin #39;s mother held a protest of the Stand Your Ground law. But Stand Your Ground isn #39;t racist. It isn #39;t a license to kill young bla...
By: nathanaelstacy1
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Stand Your Ground Law and the Irrelevance of Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin - Video
Moms team up to repeal Stand Your Ground law
Jordan Davis #39; mom, Lucia MacBath, has teamed up with the parents of Trayvon Martin to repeal the Stand Your Ground law. Jordan Davis #39; mom, Lucia MacBath, has...
By: CUBBELITV
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The shooting death of Trayvon Martin brought a lot of attention to so-called stand your ground self-defense laws. That tragic situation caused many people to question the wisdom of stand your ground laws, and still others to demand their repeal. But what are stand your ground laws? How do they work, and what purpose do they serve? This article will answer those questions and more.
Duty to Retreat
It is impossible to discuss stand your ground laws without first explaining the concept of the duty to retreat. In its most extreme form, the duty to retreat states that a person who is under an imminent threat of personal harm must retreat from the threat as much as possible before responding with force in self-defense. These days, states that retain the duty generally incorporate a variety of the duty with somewhat less stringent requirements.
Stand Your Ground
Stand your ground laws are essentially a revocation of the duty to retreat. Stand your ground laws generally state that, under certain circumstances, individuals can use force to defend themselves without first attempting to retreat from the danger. The purpose behind these laws is to remove any confusion about when individuals can defend themselves and to eliminate prosecutions of people who legitimately used self-defense even though they had not attempted to retreat from the threat.
In many states withstand your groundlaws, a claim of self-defense under a stand your ground law offers immunity from prosecution rather than an affirmative defense. This means that, rather than presenting a self-defense argument at an assault trial, for example, an individual could claim self-defense under the states stand your ground law and avoid trial altogether.
States with Stand Your Ground laws differ on whether the law applies to instances involving lethal force, with some states retaining the duty to retreat when lethal force is involved and others removing the duty to retreat under all circumstances.
Controversy over Stand Your Ground
Stand your ground laws are often criticized as encouraging violence. Critics claim that the laws lead to a shoot first, ask questions later attitude that results in more injuries and deaths than would occur without the law. Proponents of stand your ground counter that the laws allow people to protect themselves without worrying about whether they have retreated sufficiently before using force.
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Attorneys for Marissa Alexander are asking for a Stand Your Ground hearing to argue that she fired a shot at her estranged husband in self defense.
It will be the second time Alexander, 33, seeks immunity from prosecution under the states Stand Your Ground law, which allows the use of deadly force instead of retreating if the person is afraid for his or her life. A previous claim in July, 2011 was rejected.
Timeline:A step-by-step look at the Marissa Alexander case
Alexander, 33, is out on bond while awaiting a new trial on charges of firing a gun at her estranged husband and his two children. She was previously convicted of three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and sentenced to 20 years in prison, but that conviction was thrown out on appeal.
The new Stand Your Ground motion, filed Friday by attorney Bruce Zimet, argues that there is critical new information that wasnt heard in the original Stand Your Ground hearing. It also says the information presented at the original hearing was at best grossly incomplete.
Sept. 26, 2013:Judge orders new trial for Marissa Alexander
Nov. 28, 2013:Marissa Alexander released from jail
Jan. 10, 2014:Marissa Alexander bond hearing (video)
March 1, 2014:Marissa Alexander's sentence could triple in 'warning-shot' case
New evidence profoundly undermines the testimony of Alexanders estranged husband, Rico Gray, and his two children, Zimet said. All three testified in the original Stand Your Ground hearing.
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