In their first major legislative move since protesters took over the state house demanding the repeal of the “stand your ground” law, Florida lawmakers moved forward with a plan to expand the law Thursday while rejecting a measure to repeal it entirely.
During a five-hour hearing, the Florida House Subcommittee on Criminal Justice voted 12-1 to advance a bill that would expand the scope of the law by allowing someone to brandish or discharge that weapon “in defense of life, home, & property” and voted down a Democrat-backed measure to repeal the law entirely 11 to 2.
The repeal measure was subject to a lengthy public discussion, including testimony from members of the Dream Defenders, the protest group that took over the Florida Capitol in August after George Zimmerman was found not guilty in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. While Zimmerman never claimed “stand your ground” in his defense, it became a hotly debated issue, and the acquittal ultimately prompted the Dream Defenders month-long sit-in.
