Florida Governor Rick Scott has signed into law a strengthened version of the famous “stand your ground” law, that was cited in the jury instructions in the 2012 trial for the shooting death of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin, that eventually acquitted neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman.
The previous version of Florida’s law, signed in 2005, required defendants to prove that they had used force in self defense, but the version that was signed into law on Friday shifts that burden to prosecutors, who now must prove that a “stand your ground” defense is not applicable.
The highly controversial legislation, which was two years in the making, was supported by the National Rifle Association, which argued it clarifies the intent of the “stand your ground” law enacted 12 years ago.
Prosecutors and gun-rights groups vehemently fought the bill, as they argued that the new law will force state attorneys to essentially prosecute cases twice and will lead to a flood of self-defense claims because defendants will have virtually no risk in asserting a “stand your ground” defense.
“If a prosecutor doesn’t have the evidence to prevail at a pre-trial hearing… the prosecutor does not have sufficient evidence to win at trial,” Senator Rob Bradley said when an earlier version of the bill passed the Senate in March.
Democrats and critics of the bill worry it will embolden gun owners to shoot first, The Hill reports.
The most recent state to install a “stand your ground” law is Iowa, whose former governor Terry Branstad signed into law in April a sweeping expansion of gun rights in the state, which included a “stand your ground” provision.
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