"Stand Your Ground Laws
Cat in the Hat
ENG/757
December 7, 1941
Dr. Seus

"Stand Your Ground" A Citizen's Right to Self Defense.
As of 2012, 24 of the United States have put in place some form of “castle doctrine” or “stand your ground” law. These laws are designed to enable citizens to legally defend themselves with deadly force and eliminate the requirement for them to attempt to flee when they feel that an attacker is threatening their life. In the wake of the case in Sanford Florida in which self-proclaimed community watchman George Zimmerman shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin during a confrontation, much attention and public scrutiny has been brought to bear on these controversial laws. A few “stand your ground” states have claimed that abuse of these laws has fostered what some say is a shoot first ask questions later mentality, and in some cases, instances of what could be considered legalized murder. However, instances of abuse are minimal, and in states that have instituted these laws, homicide rates are the lowest in the nation. “Stand your ground” laws are also said by some to promote vigilantism, but even if in some cases this were true, law abiding citizens must be afforded the right to self-defense by any means necessary, without fear of prosecution. “Stand Your Ground”, “Castle Doctrine” What Do They Mean? In the growing debate concerning abolishment of the “stand your ground” laws in place in nearly half of the United States, there are several viable arguments that are in support of these laws. Arguments for “stand your ground’ laws are rooted in the rights guaranteed citizens by the second amendment to the Constitution. Twenty-four states have adopted some form of a “stand your ground” law or “castle doctrine” law. This so called “castle doctrine” gives citizens the right to use deadly force against a violent threat inside their