re: #166 John Hughes

Stand Your Ground was a bizarro-world pendulum-swing against laws in quite a lot of states that say you have a “duty to retreat” before you are legally permitted to use lethal force in self-defense. These “duty to retreat” laws mean that even if you’re 78 years old and wheelchair-bound, you must show that you attempted to retreat from an assailant or home invader before you can defend yourself with force, lest ye be found guilty of murder.

“Castle doctrine” generally means that if someone enters your home against your will, you are assumed to have the right to assume your life is in danger and use lethal force to defend yourself.

Stand Your Ground, as I (barely) understand it extends the no-duty-to-retreat idea to areas outside your home.