It is every man’s right to “stand their ground” and act in self defense, if anything, every man should see to it that is duty. And if you are the initial assailant but your victim gets the best of you, that’s your fault. However, firearms is nothing but a coward’s way out and laws that support their use causes more harm than good as supported by a study published in JAMA Open Network.
“Stand your ground”-laws (SYG) are expand legal protection for those who you deadly force in the situation of self defense against the treat of physical harm. Seems fair enough that one should be allowed to defend themselves from an initiator of a physical assault, however, this law just give a bunch of crazy, gun-wielding idiots the an excuse to use a gun whenever they want.
The new study finds that suc allow lead to an overall increase in homocide and death from guns across the country. The researchers analyzed the impact of SYG laws from 2000-2016 over 23 states. On average, they found the law lead an increase of up to 11% nationally in homicide rate. While southern states had the highest rates, Florida led the nation at 28% increase. Additionally, the law showed no decrease in homocide amount in any states where the law was active. In other words, people just went out killing more instead of doing what advocates of SYG would say, to deter crimes being committed leading to less people being shot.
“It is critical that policy and law-makers consider the scientific evidence on the risks associated with stand your ground laws before passing more lenient laws on the use of lethal force in self-defense. More research is needed to understand why these laws have serious negative impacts, but research consistently shows that, in most contexts, the laws are leading to unnecessary and avoidable loss of life,” stated Lead author, Dr. Michelle Degli Esposti.
M Degli Esposti et al. Analysis of “Stand Your Ground” Self-defense Laws and Statewide Rates of Homicides and Firearm Homicides. JAMA Open Network. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.0077
