Repeal Of ‘Stand Your Ground’ Law Sought By FL Senator

FLORIDA — State Sen. Shevrin Jones (D-Miami Gardens) has renewed his efforts to repeal Florida’s “stand your ground” law.

Under the current state law, people who believe they face a grave threat have the right to use deadly force.

The law made national headlines when George Zimmerman, a self-appointed neighborhood watchman, shot and killed Trayvon Martin, an unarmed Black teenager, in Sanford in 2012. Though Zimmerman’s attorney didn’t invoke the law, media coverage discussed it and speculated whether it would be used in court.

It’s been in the spotlight since then following other fatal shootings, including this past June, when Ajike Owens, a Black mother of four, was shot to death in front of her children by her neighbor, a white woman.

• Also Read: Neighbor Charged In Fatal Shooting Of FL Mother During Dispute: Police

On Wednesday, Jones filed Senate Bill 96, dubbed “The Self-Defense Restoration Act,” which prohibits “the use of deadly force by a person who knows that he or she can avoid the necessity of using deadly force with complete safety by retreating,” according to a synopsis of SB 96.

The proposed bill also deletes sections of the current law “stating that a person using or threatening to use deadly force does not have a duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground under certain circumstances,” the synopsis reads.

Jones has previously filed similar bills for consideration.

Florida became the first state to enact a “stand our ground” law in 2005 after a homeowner shot a man who wandered onto his property, according to the New York Times.

A 2022 analysis found that “stand your ground” laws, also known as “castle doctrines,” actually increase homicide rates by 8 to 11 percent each year — that’s about 700 deaths annually, the Guardian reported.

Justifiable and unlawful killings have increased in the Sunshine State because of its “stand your ground” law, the news outlet said. One study found a 32 percent increase in firearm-related homicides, while another showed that in 79 percent of cases, retreating from a situation could have avoided confrontation.