Republican lawmakers to introduce national ‘stand your ground’ bill

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) plan to introduce a national “stand your ground” bill Thursday, as several similar state laws face scrutiny amid a series of high-profile shootings.

The legislation would allow people to use deadly force if they “reasonably” believe it is necessary to “prevent imminent death or great bodily harm” to themselves or others, or to “prevent the imminent commission of a forcible felony.”

“Every American has the right to defend themselves and their loved ones from an attacker,” Gaetz said in a statement. “If someone tries to kill you, you should have the right to return fire and preserve your life.” 

“It’s time to reaffirm in law what exists in our Constitution and in the hearts of our fellow Americans,” he added. “We must abolish the legal duty of retreat everywhere.”

Such laws have faced pushback after several people last month were shot, and one was killed, after accidentally approaching the wrong house or car. 

Ralph Yarl, a Black teenager from Kansas City, Mo., was shot by a white homeowner in mid-April when he mistakenly went to the wrong address to pick up his twin brothers. The homeowner, 84-year-old Andrew Lester, claimed in an initial statement to police that he was “scared to death” by the teenager.

Just two days later, 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis was fatally shot in upstate New York after pulling into the wrong driveway. The following week, two cheerleaders in Texas were shot and injured for accidentally getting into the wrong car at a grocery store parking lot.

Thirty states, including Missouri and Texas, have versions of the “stand your ground” law, according to the Giffords Law Center.