A stand your ground law allows someone to argue they shot someone out of self-defense. There are variations of these laws. Long before stand your ground laws were castle doctrine laws, which restrict a person’s right to use force in self-defense to their property, such as defending against a home intruder. Stand your ground laws take that right one step further, often allowing people to shoot someone in any location, as long as their physical safety is threatened.
The general public became much more aware of “stand your ground” laws after George Zimmerman shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in 2012. Under Florida’s stand your ground law, Zimmerman argued he was acting in self-defense and he was acquitted of second-degree murder. Outrage followed, but so did more versions of the law in states across the country.
Studies have determined stand your ground laws are connected to higher rates of firearm homicides, the RAND Corporation found.