LogFAQs > #888927868

MannerSaurus posted...

Any of the 50 states of the United States what I said is true. If it can be proven that your life was not in danger (say you are jacked, and the attacker was some skinny punk), or that you escalated the situation to lethal when it wasn't to begin with, you will be sitting in prison.

No, this is not true. In fact, this is one of the major problems with "Stand Your Ground."

Stand Your Ground laws vary from state to state, but generally mean that you are considered justified in using lethal force if you fear for your life, property, or the life of your family. Note that your life doesn't have to actually be in danger, you just need to have reason to fear for your life, and being involved in a physical altercation has been repeatedly proven to be sufficient to satisfy the law's requirements. The other guy doesn't have to be bigger than you or brandishing a weapon or anything like that.

Hell, one of the most disgusting applications of Stand Your Ground that I ever read about was a guy that shot another guy he'd been playing basketball with in front of the victim's young daughter. They'd started arguing, got into a physical fight, the victim started getting the better of his opponent, so the guy pulls out his gun and shoots the other guy. But you know the sick part? The shooter was the guy who started the fight and threw the first punch in the first place.

Just to re-iterate: the guy starts a fight, eventually shoots the guy he's fighting with, and was found not guilty of murder thanks to Stand Your Ground.
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Kill 1 man: You are a murderer. Kill 10 men: You are a monster.
Kill 100 men: You are a hero. Kill 10,000 men, you are a conqueror!