Subsequent to Florida’s enactment of the first castle doctrine law in 2005, no less than 22 additional states have passed some sort of legislation that allows civilians to use deadly force to protect their property from violent and nonviolent offenders. Given the...
On 24 April 2006 the Governor of Arizona signed into law a series of amendments to Title 13 of the Arizona Revised Statutes (Senate Bill 1145 2006). A key feature of this legislation, the so-called ‘stand your ground’ provision, states that individuals have no duty to...
Importance In 2005, Florida amended its self-defense laws to provide legal immunity to individuals using lethal force in self-defense. The enactment of “stand your ground” laws in the United States has been controversial and their effect on rates of homicide and...
From 2000 to 2010, more than 20 states passed laws that make it easier to use lethal force in self-defense. Elements of these laws include removing the duty to retreat in places outside of one’s home, adding a presumption of reasonable belief of imminent harm,...
This paper examines the impact of Stand Your Ground laws on firearm homicides and injuries. Using state level monthly data and a difference-in-difference identification strategy, we find that these laws result in an increase in homicides. According to our estimates,...
