On the Third Hand…

Law Expands Right to Kill in Self-Defense

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Reuters) - People in Florida will be allowed to kill in self-defense on the street without trying to flee under a new law passed by state politicians on Tuesday that critics say will bring a Wild West mentality and innocent deaths.

Ya gotta love Reuters. Florida has a “Wild East” mentality, I’ll have you know. We believe in fighting back when attacked.

The Florida House of Representatives, citing the need to allow people to “stand their ground,” voted 94-20 to codify and expand court rulings that already allow people to use deadly force to protect themselves in their homes without first trying to escape.

The new bill goes further by allowing citizens to use deadly force in a public place if they have a reasonable belief they are in danger of death or great bodily harm. It applies to all means of force that may result in death, although the legislative debate focused on guns.

Since any force used in fighting back could result in death, I think that’s a moot point. Heck, even running away could cause your pursuer to trip over something and smash his/her skull…

The “Stand Your Ground” bill passed the Senate last week on a 39-0 vote and now goes to Republican Gov. Jeb Bush, who indicated he will sign it.

Good for him. I would like to see the language of the bill before cheering too loudly, but from the Reuters report, I like it. Hat tip to Coalition of the Swilling for the story (I didn’t use their link, Yahoo goes into archive too fast).

[update] Here is the text, thanks to Dave J.