Stand Your Ground

I read in the news that two weeks ago, early Saturday morning, Renisha McBride, a 19 year old black woman, was shot in the head and killed. McBride, who was unarmed, was looking for help, as she had had a car accident in a neighborhood unfamiliar to her. The shooter claims to have felt threatened and that McBride did not call for help. The shooting took place in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, which is a state that has a stand-your-ground law. In general, a stand-your-ground law allows a person to use deadly force to protect himself in situations where he feels his life is in danger, and many states, including Florida where George Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin. Michigan's law specifically states it is applicable if "the individual honestly and reasonably believes that the use of deadly force is necessary to prevent the imminent death of or imminent great bodily harm to himself or herself or to another individual" or in cases of possible sexual assault.

The stand-your-ground laws raise many issues to me. It is possible that the homeowner was truly scared for his life and thought McBride posed a serious threat, but at the same time, critics of these laws claim they call for unnecessary violence and warp the concept of self defense. Do these laws make a significant impact on crime, and do they actually make everyone safer or put some in more danger?