Tag

Stand Your Ground Laws

All articles tagged with #stand your ground laws

shooting2 years ago•1 min saved

Fast food drive-thru altercations lead to gun violence.

An argument between a McDonald's worker and a customer in the drive-thru of a McDonald's in Jacksonville, Florida, escalated to gun violence when the customer pistol-whipped the employee through the drive-thru window. The employee, who was also armed, came out of the building and shots were fired between the two men. Both were injured but are expected to survive. The Jacksonville Sheriff's office is investigating the incident to determine who fired the first shot and what the argument was about. The employee may be able to defend his actions as self-defense under the stand your ground laws.

via WJXT News4JAX |

#gun-violence #jacksonville #mcdonalds

crime2 years ago•2 min saved

Kansas City Mayor Condemns Gun Culture After Ralph Yarl Shooting.

The shooting of a Black teen by a white man in Kansas City, Missouri, highlights the country's "fetishization of guns," according to the city's mayor. The shooter, 84-year-old Andrew Lester, has pleaded not guilty to felony charges of first-degree assault and armed criminal action. The mayor believes the shooting is a result of a culture of paranoia and fear being drummed up by politicians and some in the media, as well as the fetishization of guns. While there is a racial component to the shooting, the prosecutor declined to charge Lester with a hate crime, attempted murder, or civil rights violations.

via HuffPost|

#crime #gun-violence #hate-crime

law-and-society2 years ago•5 min saved

The Complexities of 'Stand Your Ground' Laws and Their Implications.

Stand your ground laws, which have spread to around 30 states in the US since 2005, authorize defensive violence without a duty to retreat, wherever a person may legally be. However, research shows that they are not equitably enforced and may be emboldening property owners to shoot first and question their actions later, even when there is no real threat of harm. These laws intensify existing racial injustices in the US criminal legal system and encourage armed citizens to use force against any perceived threat, real or imagined, making even the most innocent mistakes and chance encounters potentially deadly.

via Yahoo News|

#gun-violence #law-and-society #legal-landscape

us-news2 years ago•6 min saved

The Complexities of 'Stand Your Ground' Laws and Their Implications.

Recent incidents of unarmed Americans being shot after simple mistakes highlight the impact of "stand your ground" laws in the US, which have transformed how Americans think of the traditional right to self-defense. Dozens of "stand your ground" state laws passed in the last 18 years have vastly transformed how Americans may think of the traditional right to self-defense. Critics argue that the laws have led to more violence and are misunderstood by many people, making them believe they have the right to shoot someone when they really don't.

via Los Angeles Times|

#gun-violence #homicides #racial-disparities

crime2 years ago•4 min saved

The Ralph Yarl Shooting: A Reminder of Racism and Stand Your Ground Laws.

The family of Andrew Lester, the 84-year-old accused of shooting Black teenager Ralph Yarl, have expressed their disgust at the incident. Lester is accused of shooting Yarl twice through the glass screen door of his home in Kansas City, Missouri, when the Black teenager accidentally called at the wrong home to pick up his brothers. Lester has pleaded not guilty to two felonies. The incident has led to protests and an outpouring of support for Yarl from celebrities and donors to a GoFundMe campaign, as the incident casts a renewed spotlight on America’s “stand your ground” laws and whether they help to fuel random shootings and racism.

via The Independent|

#andrew-lester #crime #gofundme

crime2 years ago•4 min saved

The Troubling Trend of Shootings Resulting from Doorbell Ringing

The grandson of a white homeowner who shot a black teenager who rang his doorbell said he "wasn't shocked" by the news, citing his grandfather's racist tendencies and beliefs. The older brother of the grandson disputed the notion that race played a role in the shooting. The homeowner has been charged with two felonies and pleaded not guilty. The teenager, who went to the wrong address to pick up his younger siblings, was shot in the head and arm. The Ludwig brothers have differing views about their grandfather, but both say the shooting was unfortunate.

via CNN|

#crime #kansas-city #racism

shooting2 years ago•2 min saved

North Carolina Shooting Spree Leaves 6-Year-Old and Adults Injured.

A 6-year-old girl and two adults were shot in Gastonia, North Carolina, after a basketball rolled into a man's yard and he allegedly opened fire on them. The suspect, Robert Louis Singletary, is still at large and considered armed and dangerous. The incident has reignited debates about stand your ground laws. The police department is offering a $1,000 reward for information that aids the investigation, which is ongoing.

via CBS News|

#attempted-murder #gun-violence #north-carolina

law2 years ago•6 min saved

Understanding Stand Your Ground Laws in the US

The recent shootings of a teenager in Missouri and a woman in New York have brought attention to self-defense laws in the US. About 30 states have "stand your ground" laws that allow individuals to use force in self-defense without retreating in any location where they have the right to be. Critics argue that these laws make it too easy to claim self-defense and promote violence, while proponents say they allow citizens to keep themselves safe. The castle doctrine, which allows people to protect their homes with deadly force, is also used in some states.

via The New York Times|

#castle-doctrine #law #legal-protection

crime2 years ago•9 min saved

Suspect in Shooting of Black Teen Released on Bail Amid Community Support

Andrew Lester, an 84-year-old white homeowner, has been released on $200,000 bail after being charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action for shooting black teenager Ralph Yarl twice. Yarl was mistakenly ringing the doorbell at Lester's home to pick up his younger twin brothers. The case has a racial component, according to Clay County prosecutor Zachary Thompson. Lester is not allowed to possess weapons of any kind and may not have any contact with Yarl. Missouri is one of twenty US states which has stand-your-ground laws, which removes the duty to retreat before using deadly force in self-defense.

via Daily Mail|

#bail #crime #first-degree-assault