Persuasive Case

Make My Day

"Go ahead punk, make my day" is a popular movie quote from Clint Eastwood that many people use with humor. This quote has opened up the mind of many individuals imagining themselves in a situation where they are armed and confronted by an intruder with the freedom to retaliate with deadly force without facing any consequences because it was a movie. The Stand Your Ground law, "Authorizes the use of deadly force if a person reasonably feels at risk of death or great bodily harm", has now made this fantasy into a reality for American citizens. By over shadowing the 'duty to retreat' fundamental principles of law, civilians are now given the right to retaliate with deadly force without thinking twice. This subjective way of thinking has truly flawed the judicial system. The Stand Your Ground law needs to be repealed because it does not protect helpless victims from aggressive perpetrators; instead it is a loophole that can easily be exploited by anyone to get away with murder.

The Ambiguous wording of the Stand your Ground law leaves plenty room for personal interpretation. It states that deadly force can be used when 'a person reasonably feels at risk of death or great bodily harm.' ARTICLE Perceived dangers are arbitrary and subjective to an individual's subjective reasoning pertaining to a specific situation WEBSITE. A person can justify fear for their life in almost any situation which starts off by someone provoking them. It is very difficult to prove otherwise since a feeling is based upon a subjective emotion in which that person went through. This leaves the possibility for many wrongful deaths based upon miscommunication, misunderstandings, misinterpretations, and racial and ethnic prejudice. For example, if the alleged victim is carrying a firearm for protection and has a premeditated thought that they will protect themselves by any means necessary, they will react first by shooting the perpetrator without trying to deescalate the situation. This will lead to a majority of the population carrying weapons to protect themselves by using unnecessary deadly force.

The Stand Your Ground law not only allows a person to use deadly force but in some instances may encourage the use of this retaliatory behavior. This law clearly overshadows the fundamental principal of duty to retreat, were if an individual is confronted with a possibility of danger they have the obligation to remove themselves from the situation, thus avoiding any possible use of deadly force. If a discussion starts to transcend into an argument the common and logical way to handle such conditions will be to step away in order to avoid further confrontation. With the Stand Your Ground law in mind an individual may be inclined to continue the argument and see what may transpire of the situation and claim self defense in case circumstances get into physical altercations.

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