Dangerous shoot-first laws have swept the nation since 1981.
Look at the numbers for “shoot-first” laws:
In 1981, zero states had them. Now 26 states do.
And if the gun lobby gets its way, these dangerous laws– a.k.a. “stand-your-ground” laws or “007–license to kill” laws, will soon be adopted by even more states. Shoot-first laws have been proposed–and fortunately defeated–in eight additional states.
“Shoot-first” laws–which have been aggressively pushed by the conservative lobby group American Legislative Exchange Council–allow the use of deadly force in self-defense with no duty to retreat, encouraging vigilante homicide, such as what occurred when George Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin.
Could New York State ever get a “shoot-first” law? In 2012, just such a bill, S-281 —which authorized the use of deadly physical force in defense of a person or premises—was introduced in the New York Senate by State Senator George Marziarz. He withdrew the bill after the killing of Trayvon Martin.
