GW: We hear the rumblings from the uninformed and leaders like Eric Holder and Al Sharpton about the “stand-your-ground laws” and how dangerous they are. But, in Michigan, for example, we had a “duty-to-retreat” law in place before stand your ground was enacted. This meant that in your own home, if confronted by a bad guy, a homeowner was legally responsible to run and hide, rather than defend himself. If you want to talk about “senseless” and “dangerous conflict”, we should have started the conversation about this concept. And, we, and other states, did so already.
A few days after a jury acquitted George Zimmerman in the death of Trayvon Martin, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder was busy exploiting the trial outcome by attacking “stand?your?ground” self-defense laws. As reported by Fox News, during a speech at the NAACP’s annual convention, Holder said, “Separate and apart from the case that has drawn the nation’s attention, it’s time to question laws that senselessly expand the concept of self-defense and sow dangerous conflict in our neighborhoods.”
In response to Holder’s remarks, NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox had this to say: “The attorney general fails to understand that self-defense is not a concept, it’s a fundamental human right. To send a message that legitimate self-defense is to blame is unconscionable, and demonstrates once again that this administration will exploit tragedies to push their political agenda.”
Holder and the Obama administration will surely continue to push to overturn “stand your ground” self-defense laws in the future. Rest assured NRA-ILA will be there to fight them. We will continue to work to protect self-defense laws currently on the books and advocate for their passage in those states that do not fully respect this fundamental right.
