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Florida House Passes Stand Your Ground Reform

Dean Weingarten - comments No comments

HB 89, a reform of Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law, passed the house on last week by a vote of 93-24.  The law extends the same immunity currently provided to people who actually shoot someone in self defense to those who merely threaten force or fire warning shots. The bill was given impetus by the Marissa Alexander case in which the defendant claimed to have fired a warning shot, but was sentenced to 20 years in prison under Florida’s mandatory sentencing laws . . .

The bill has brought together a diverse coalition of supporters, including the Florida Public Defender Association and the NRA.

“We see, routinely, clients that we believe shouldn’t be prosecuted because they did act in lawful self-defense,” said Stacy Scott, the Gainesville-based public defender for the 8th Judicial Circuit. “We’re fighting those cases in court every day.”

The reform bill also provides for the expungement of records in self defense cases. From bradenton.com, Representative Matt Gaetz:

“The point is to make sure that someone who appropriately uses the ‘stand your ground’ defense doesn’t have their life ruined by the use of that defense,” Gaetz said.

We’ll be watching the bill’s progress.

©2014 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
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0 thoughts on “Florida House Passes Stand Your Ground Reform”

  1. I have two M7s. Each is serving well.

    One is mounted without riser on the rail on my tactical shotgun. Repeated pounding with 12 gauge slugs and buckshot do not faze it. Rock solid. Holds zero with slugs.

    The other is on an AR 15 mounted in an ADM AD-170 VFG QD mount to swap out with a QD mounted scope. I mention the mount specifically, because at its .600″ height it gives an absolute cowitness, which I really like. Should there be a battery failure (unlikely), I can see right through and use the flip up backups. Also great for verifying zero.

    I agree with all the observations in the review. I’ve been using the one in my AR for almost a year and am still on the original battery.

    One caveat: not specific to the M7, but to all electronics you care about. Use lithium batteries only. They have longer shelf life, hold their power right up to the end, and do not leak. I learned this lesson well with portable electronic audio devices that were ruined by leaking batteries. Lithium only now.

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  2. And only the police/military – hard to tell the difference, nowadays – are empowered to kill with impugnity.

    Again, idiot spell check tells me “impugnity” is spelled wrong.

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  3. I love how he’s even getting torn apart on the comments on HuffPost. These rants are sounding more and more like a swan song every time I hear them.

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  4. boys don’t forget to check out fostech for the “bump ski” solid piece of equipment that makes the ak sing a little louder and of course faster ah….capitalism at its best fellas the more restrictions the more our ingenuity rises

    Reply
  5. I love the M9. Used it in the Navy and in the Army, just this weekend to tell the truth. I love it so much I bought one. I was very disappointed with my first squeeze of the trigger. The second confirmed it. Low and left…. Big time. I bought it new, even went through the extra pains to get the M9 markings instead of the 92. So I found a Berretta Rep at a local gun show. I was told the same thing, she never heard of one that did that from factory and questioned my how much time do I have on a handgun. After setting her straight she told me I can mail it back to Berretta with $75 and they will check it and zero it for free if it’s found to be outside of a 3″ circle at 25 yards. Your $75 will be returned with a factory zeroed weapon. If they check it and it’s one, they keep your $75

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  6. I am amazed at the rhetoric of this thread. I have learned that liberals/Democrats only base their points of view on feelings and illogical beliefs. I have many friends who are self-identified liberals and who have degrees in science, an area that measurable, testable, verifiable facts are the basis of perspective. Please, people, Democrats/liberals do not want to destroy America. They may not see an idealized America in the same way conservatives do, but their goals are not to destroy a nation they love every bit as much as conservatives do.

    Also, in what way did FDR start a war? I sort of thought that Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931 and then southern China in 1937. Even if he did start a war, I think most American think that the US involvement in it was a good thing.

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  7. Several officials told the AP that the government does not know how many weapons there are in Libya, a country of 6 million people.

    Where have I heard that recently? Connecticut?

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  8. “militia fighters stole a planeload of weapons sent by Russia for Libya’s military when it stopped to refuel at Tripoli International Airport on route to a base in the south.

    The fighters surrounded the plane on the tarmac and looted the shipment of automatic weapons and ammunition..”

    ^This^

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  9. A light armored vehicle without mutual support or dismounted infantry support is properly described as a steel coffin. You can read this as I’m not impressed. The vehicle is imposing for sure, but it’s ill designed and not intended to take on dedicated ambushes. If one comes for you, you’re screwed. If you’re laying in wait for it, it’s screwed. Everything is a compromise and these compromise everything to the extreme. The armor is questionable, the speed and maneuverability is poor, it isn’t armed and it’s ill prepared for IEDs. In other words it’s optimized for situations in which it’s not needed and poorly equipped to deal with threats for which it might be reasonably called upon.

    I’d hate to have to deal with one; it requires better than 30 minutes of chainsaw work to immobilize for hours (or days if you leave a sniper) and at least 2 hours at the workbench to destroy. On the other hand it’s road limited and basically a puff piece more so than a serious weapon and deployed in small numbers.

    Surely an example of our over militarized police. Hardly a threat when there isn’t any longer a rule of law.

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  10. Lots of intelligent discussion,very little hurling of insults;nice to see. I own one,my wife bought it for me for Christmas. The idea behind it was ONLY the fact that is was 55$ to my door,pretty cheap education. My intent was to determine if i thought I could do aluminum with the equipment that I have by first following the same procedure with plastic. I’m not in combat, having one AR that’s not structurally “mil spec” is of very little importance to me. I wanted the experience,if I failed,to be inexpensive. I didn’t and it was. No expensive jig needed!
    It is my opinion,nothing more, that the ATF is operating under the concept that the lower is at first a firearm,then filled in. That would mean Ares is buying/selling guns….illegal,case closed. At least with the one I was shipped,it’s pretty obvious the reciever is cast around/after the “plug” ther was a very thin skin of the FDE colored polymer over portions of the “plug” that I don’t believe would be possible if it were done the other way.
    That being said,there is no appeal to me in owning a weapon that is unserialized and unknown to the Feds. There is no sense of victory in manufacturing a gun not purchased by typical FFL transfer.
    The issue here is the strong arm tactics involved. Simply making an assessment of EP armory’s manufacturing process should have been the first and last step in this whole circus. Those that do own them,now have to wait and see. Did we buy an illegal firearm? Do we wind up having to destroy them,send them to the ATF? Will it simply be enough to serialize it and have it recorded?
    It would be my hope that EP Armory would not wittingly bring to market a product that doesn’t adhere to the law during the entire manufacturing process. The buyers of these items are purchasing an item that meets the conditions for being an 80% lower,but the process to getting there….kindA important.

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  11. You know that part in a gun rights debate when the grabber puts on their reading glasses and pulls out the binder full of laws they would like pass? That’s the queue to pull out your wish list with the SBRs and suppressors. Nothing on this Earth is funnier than the disgusted face of a liberal who has just realized you actually expect him to compromise.

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  12. Of course Joe Blow CCW macho-man-citizen-“patriot” would have dropped the old bag in self-defense. Thank goodness the cops had common sense and restraint. I don’t give a crap about 2nd Amend when it comes to crazy… NO GUN FOR YOU if you are a mental case….. sorry. NO GUN for idiots, low IQ folks with anger management and lack of restraint issues, aka personality disorders & mental illness. Call me a gun nat-zee, NO GUN FOR YOU. 2 funking bad. I am for mental health test before people can get a gun.

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  13. “…U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, pressed Libyan officials to reach some political consensus so the international community can help the government collect weapons and rebuild the military and police.”

    “He pointed to an international effort to build storage houses in which to collect weapons in the western Libyan town of Gharyan.”

    And those two statements summarize the purpose of the UN Small Arms Treaty, supported by President Feckless Obama and the Democrat party.

    The reaction of Americans to this weapons confiscation scheme is the same as the reaction of the people in Libya: “There is also a strong domestic market for weapons among the public for personal protection. Nearly every household is believed to have at least one gun, but usually it’s several.”

    Can’t argue with that.

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  14. G26 Gen 4 or Kahr CM9, right hip leather pancake holster (sometime pocket carry CM9 Nemesis holster). I use +P Speer Gold Dot 124Gr or +P Fed HST124Gr. I NEVER OPEN CARRY (unless hiking), and people who intentionally bait store owners, pubic and the police to be challenged so they can record for youtube, to PROVE their rights, are idiots. Conceal carry is the way to go… Tactical advantage and not alarming people are two Pros.

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  15. If “moms bring all politicians into the world,” does it follow that moms also bring all the criminals into the world? I guess they are 0 for 2.

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  16. Prices on 7.62×39 actually falling, even after James Yeager warned the world was ending. Current prices around 23 cents per rd, same as pre Sandy Hook. Quantities available.

    40SW and 9MM FMJ around 40 cents per rd, up from 27 cents and 20 cents per round pre Sandy Hook. Quantities available.

    45ACP FMJ around 45 cents per rd, up from 32 cents a rd pre Sandy Hook. Quantities available.

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  17. Occasionally I order ammo online if the price and shipping aren’t too bad. Usually my online purchases are for Re-manufactured range ammo in pistol calibers and self defense ammo (Federal HST is my favorite). For other things, I just wait until the next gun show and stock up from there. Vendors like Georgia Arms (if you are in the Southeast, you have probably heard of them) have plenty of ammo at a reasonable price. There was a show this past weekend and I picked up 500 rounds in an ammo can of 115 gr 9mm for $130. Also picked up some .45 ACP 230 gr FMJ for 42 cents a round, .45 Colt Cowboy Loads for 54 cents a round and .38 Special Semi Wadcutters for 26 cents a round. A month ago I got a deal on a 1000 round case of re-manufactured .45 ACP for only 32 cents a round. So, ammo is out there in a fair abundance.

    Like everyone else, .22 is the hard to come by stuff. The cheapest I can find it is on local classifieds and forums for about 10 cents a round. There was a vendor at the gun show with a pallet of Winchester Copper jacketed 555 bulk packs, but he wanted $75 a brick for them. I passed knowing I could get it from a private seller for $50 if I really wanted it.

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  18. I just spent about six hours yesterday moving 500lb or more of factory ammo, bullets, powder, brass, and primers around in my garage and storage closet. Sometimes it feels like I have too much (only 4000 rounds of .22 left though, so I’m getting ansy).

    Reply
  19. Christie in 1995:

    http://images.politico.com/global/2014/02/13/christiead.png

    That said, he’ll veto if he thinks his chances in the GOP primaries are good.

    It’s totally possible that the reason the bill was taken off today’s schedule was to see how the bridge thing shakes out. If Christie looks bad on it, then no reason to keep prentending he’s a conservative and they can get his signature more easily.

    EDIT: And notice the blatant lie “Automatic assault weapons”.
    No better than the typical gun grabber.

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  20. Not just have a fit, point out the hypocrisy of advocating violence against people and for what? For believing in their rights as outlined in the Bill of Rights? That there is anti-murrican as well.

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  21. Those prices (in the OP) are still VERY high. PMC 9-mm for $15,75??? That’s about 50% higher than what I paid before the panic. I’ll pass on the still-stupid-high prices.

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  22. Seriously, Kenny has a right (duty?)to protect himself and those on his property. Sounds like the dog owner did not put an end to the recurring threat when he had the chance (duty) to do so. Kenny looks like a douche but he has that right, as well. America and all that.

    Reply

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