Why 'stand your ground' laws may be connected to higher homicide rates
ABC News
States that enacted stand your ground laws saw homicides jump over 10% after the laws were enacted, according to a study.
"Stand your ground laws," have proliferated around the country after they were first introduced in Florida in 2005, with proponents contending that they've kept neighborhoods safer.
A study released this week, however, has found that those laws, which give gun holders the right to use their weapon in public in self-defense.
The peer-reviewed report issued by the JAMA Network Open found that the monthly gun homicide rate rose 8-11% in 23 states after they enacted the laws, amounting to roughly 58 to 72 additional homicides a month in these locations.
The increase in homicides was greatest in southern states that first passed the legislation -- Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Missouri -- ranging from 16.2% to 33.5% after the laws were passed according to the study.
