John Oliver talked last night about the “stand-your-ground” law that exists in 30 states, and the move to expand them. The law says people are allowed to shoot if they feel their lives are in danger. Oliver talked about the vast disparities in who the law does, and does not protect. According to reports from the Urban Institute, white-on-black homicides were deemed justified 281% more times than black-on-white crimes.
As he points out, this is because these laws are about perceived fear, which Oliver deemed “objectively subjective.”
The laws "can exalt a white person’s fear over a black person’s life.”
And to make it even worse, the laws do not deter crime. In states where stand-your-ground laws apply, homicides have overall increased almost 11 percent, whereas there was a 2% decrease in homicides in states without stand-your-ground, he said.
“Stand-your-ground has contributed to a society where vigilantes with guns can decide what is safety, who is a threat, and what the punishment should be. They have turbocharged everything from road rage incidents to pointless disputes over dog weights.”
