The facts about “Stand Your Ground” laws

Andrew Branca, author of The Law of Self Defense and no stranger to these pages, recently participated in a debate on so-called “Stand Your Ground” laws at UC Berkley. His opening statement in the debate is probably the most cogent and succinct summation of what SYG does and doesn’t do that you’re likely to find.

It’s also worth noting that Mr. Branca kicked a bit of booty in the debate. At Berkley he won the student vote. No doubt part of the reason for this is that the CNN “Legal Analyst”…you know, the sort of person the news networks brought on to talk about the Zimmerman incident…didn’t actually have a command of the basic facts of what took place in the Zimmerman incident. I’ll give you a minute to recover from the shock of learning that the news networks put “experts” in front of the public who don’t actually have a reasonable command of the most basic elements of what they’re talking about. Yet they wonder why fewer people are paying attention to news outlets…

Social media, forums, and various other friend networks are incredible resources that will shape opinions more powerfully than anything CNN puts out there. When news stories hit, the ability to present a cogent, intelligent, reasonable argument in easily digestible form can make the difference in someone’s way of thinking. Lots of people online decrying the Zimmerman verdict didn’t know the facts of the case and certainly had no idea about the laws governing self defense. This kind of video is excellent ammunition in the fight against mainstream media spin.

Keep this video handy. The next time you see some question or controversy about “Stand Your Ground” laws, link it or post it in the discussion. Pro-gunners have the benefit of fact and reason on our side…so don’t hesitate to use them for maximum benefit.

8 Comments

  1. It was a lot of fun. Even more fun is holding CNN legal analyst Sunny Hostin to the $100 wager she made with me, and lost. She now refuses to pay up, which is providing me with great amusement. 🙂 For details, look here: “The Wager Sunny Hostin Refuses to Honor” http://is.gd/4lKDVF

  2. Mr Branca, as a grad of UC Berkeley (in Computer Science, not law) I loved seeing this. Is there a recording of the entire debate?

  3. Stand Your Ground laws were necessary to counter the judgements of liberal courts who invented the duty to retreat as a way of punishing ordinary citizens for exercising their natural rights. There is no doubt in my mind that gun control also played a part also.

    Now the progressives and leftists who couldn’t stop the establishment of Stand Your Ground attack it on false pretenses and flat out lies. It just proves again we can never relax, never give in and inch to these loons.

  4. Thank you for publicizing this event. To the original poster, especially if you are going to italicize it, probably best to get the spelling right: Berkeley.

Comments are closed.