How ALEC Took Florida's 'License to Kill' Law National

[Triana]

Last edited Sun Jul 14, 2013, 12:29 PM - Edit history (1)

NOTE: this is from MARCH 2012 - I post it as a reminder of WHO is behind this goddamned piece of 'license to kill' legislation (and that's exactly what it is - a license to kill):

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush endorsed Mitt Romney Wednesday, earning national headlines as an elder statesman of a Grand Old Party that is still trying to wrap its head around the concept of Romney as a presidential nominee.

It is a measure of the extent to which media and political players absolve those who make laws from any responsibility for the impact of the legislation they enact and sign that Romney—who has so meticulously avoided discussing the Trayvon Martin killing in Florida—would casually accept the backing of the signer of the “Stand Your Ground” law that so many reasonable observers believe played a role in Trayvon’s death.

The 17-year-old Florida youth was apparently hunted down and shot by a “neighborhood watch” gunman while Trayvon was returning from a trip to a nearby 7-11 store. The gunman, George Zimmerman, was reportedly of the belief that he had been given what was effectively a license to kill by Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law. Police in Sanford, Florida, apparently shared that view, as they decided against arresting and charging the shooter.

The Florida “Stand Your Ground” law was enacted in 2005 with bipartisan support by Republican-controlled houses of the legislature. The National Rifle Association led the advocacy on behalf of the proposal, arguing that it was needed to provide immunity to gunmen who might use deadly force against unarmed individuals who they imagine to be threatening.

THE REST:

http://www.thenation.com/blog/166978/how-alec-took-floridas-license-kill-law-national#axzz2Z25tJ74c

NRA and ALEC need to be defanged if we expect any decency or safety in regards to guns and gun laws in the US. That is going to take MASSIVE action on the part of all of us and our alleged "representatives" in state and fed gov't.

I don't see a big possibility of any of that, sadly.

[alsame]

1. The Money Trail Behind Florida's Notorious Gun Law

The Money Trail Behind Florida's Notorious Gun Law
The National Rifle Association invested heavily in the legislation that helped keep Trayvon Martin's killer a free man.

By Andy Kroll
Thu Mar. 29, 2012

On April 26, 2005, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush signed into law SB 436, better known as the "Stand Your Ground" law, which gave Floridians the right to use deadly force to defend themselves in public without first trying to flee from a threat. Nearly seven years later, the law has exploded into public view with the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida. Police released the shooter, George Zimmerman, the night of the killing after he claimed self-defense; ever since, there has been a firestorm of debate over the wisdom of Stand Your Ground laws, also known as "shoot first" laws, which now exist in 24 states.

The money trail leading to the watershed law in Florida—the first of the 24 across the nation—traces primarily to one source: the National Rifle Association. When Gov. Bush conducted the 2005 signing ceremony, standing alongside him was Marion Hammer, a leader and familiar face from the pro-gun lobbying powerhouse. But the NRA's support for the Stand Your Ground law was far more than symbolic. An analysis by Mother Jones of election and lobbying records reveals that the NRA was instrumental in creating Stand Your Ground: Over a nine-year period the organization gave more than $73,000 in campaign donations to the 43 Florida legislators who backed the law. That money was buttressed by intense lobbying activity and additional funds spent by the NRA in support of the bill's introduction and passage.

<snip>

The NRA Political Victory Fund also twice donated the $500 maximum to Jeb Bush, during his 1998 and 2002 gubernatorial campaigns. And between 1996 and 2004, it gave $55,000 to the Florida Republican Party, which in turn spent big money to boost Republicans in state legislative and gubernatorial races. According to the National Institute on Money in State Politics, the NRA and its Political Victory Fund have given $2.6 million to state-level campaigns, political committees, and candidates in the past decade.

Campaign cash, however, was only part of the NRA's strategy for passing Stand Your Ground legislation in Florida. Beginning in early 2005, the gun rights group launched a lobbying blitz behind Baxley and Peaden—promoting news stories about Peaden's campaign to pass the Stand Your Ground law and blasting out an "Action Alert" urging its members to contact their state legislators and pressure them to support the bill. "The citizens of Florida have a right to expect absolute safety within their own homes or vehicles and to be able to use all manner of force against an unlawful intruder/attacker," the alert said.

More: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/03/NRA-stand-your-ground-trayvon-martin

[Eleanors38]

2. Did Z's defense use the SYG law, or was it common self-defense?