Shoot First laws, also known as Stand Your Ground laws, are dangerous. How do they encourage violence?

Shoot First laws—also known as Stand Your Ground legislation—are deadly, reckless, and extreme. They give people a license to kill, allowing them to shoot first and ask questions later, then claim self-defense. People can use deadly force as a first option rather than the last. These laws apply even if the person who started the confrontation can safely walk away.

Why are Shoot First laws dangerous?

Shoot First laws change the nature of gun violence in a state. These laws encourage escalations of violence. Research shows that Shoot First laws make the United States’ gun violence crisis worse and do nothing to deter crime.

Which states have Shoot First laws?

29 states currently have some version of these laws on the books. Most of the states with Stand Your Ground laws, including Georgia’s law that passed in 2006, were enacted as a result of a concerted effort by the NRA. The gun lobby isn’t just against gun safety laws—they’re trying to pass bills that encourage violence.

How do Shoot First laws affect Black people and communities of color?

Shoot First laws put Black people and people of color at further risk of hate-fueled violence. Shooters feel empowered to instigate violence or act on unjustified fear and then claim self-defense.

Ahmaud Arbery was out for a run when he was killed in 2020 in Georgia. He didn’t have a gun and the shooters’ lives were not at risk, but they felt empowered to shoot to kill and then claim self defense.

Trayvon Martin was out for a walk in his father’s neighborhood in 2012 when a man followed him, then shot and killed him in Florida. The shooter claimed self-defense and was found not guilty of murder even though he followed and approached Trayvon who was unarmed. Trayvon was minding his own business, simply out for a walk while Black.

Also in 2012, Representative Lucy McBath’s 17-year-old son, Jordan Davis, was shot and killed by a man in a Florida gas station parking lot over a supposed dispute over loud music. Jordan wasn’t armed, he was just hanging out with friends. The man claimed a Stand Your Ground defense.

Black Stories

Open letter to Wanda Cooper-Jones, mother of Ahmaud Arbery, and all Americans

Open letter to Wanda Cooper-Jones, mother of Ahmaud Arbery, and all Americans

An open letter to all Americans, Like too many Black mothers in America, we know the pain Ahmaud Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, is feeling. We are part of a community we didn’t choose—a community of mothers whose children have been taken by gun violence and then blamed for their own… Continue

How are these laws different from traditional self-defense laws?

All 50 states have self-defense laws that give us the right to protect ourselves and our families. Traditional self-defense laws are effective—they give us the right to protect ourselves and our families, including the use of deadly force if necessary. They also value life—ensuring that deadly force remains a last resort, rather than a first. These laws only require that if a person can clearly and safely walk away, they do so. The issue is whether or not someone should be able to seek out a dangerous situation and also claim self-defense.

Stand Your Ground or Shoot First laws go much further, changing the nature of self-defense laws. These laws allow people to shoot to kill in public even when they can safely walk away from the danger. They have created a culture of violence. This allows armed extremists to shoot anyone they fear or suspect, call themselves “vigilantes,” and claim self defense. This leads to more senseless deaths.