Should name repeal of Stand Your Ground Law after Forest Gump

Published Date

To the editor,
I received a call today from a friend from Franklin who started telling me about HB-135 and how the Democrats want to repeal the Stand Your Ground law.
When I first moved here I read a newspaper story about a policeman who was shot by a high school Rival he had stopped for a traffic violation, who was shot himself by a passerby that picked up the policeman's gun. Stand your ground protects everyone.
I asked my friend what this has to do with the Newtown shooting? He said nothing: the attorney general and the state police want it because of the Travon Martin shooting in Florida.
Really? The Democrats want to change the law that protects everyone from violent crime by taking away the ability to use deadly force when no other course of action is available in situations passersby may come upon, because of an incident in a state 1400 miles from here that has no witnesses and the person charged in the case hasn't even gone to trial.
So much for innocent until proven guilty. They should name the legislation the Forrest Gump Act. If you see someone getting car jacked, raped or robbed at gun point all you will be able to do is yell "Run Forrest Run".
James Edgar
Meredith