Florida Dem urges repeal of ‘Stand Your Ground’ laws

Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) has introduced a resolution honoring the life of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager who was shot in 2012, that calls for a repeal of “Stand Your Ground” laws.

Wilson noted that Martin, who lived in her district, would have turned 20 years old this week. Martin was shot by an untrained neighborhood watch volunteer named George Zimmerman, who later was acquitted of second-degree murder and manslaughter.

{mosads}”Trayvon Martin, an African-American youth, was horrifically shot and killed while walking home in Sanford, Florida, because he was viewed as a threat,” Wilson said in a statement.

Wilson’s resolution would establish that the House urges all stat legislatures to repeal “Stand Your Ground” laws that allow people to use deadly force in self-defense when faced with a perceived threat. It would also encourage states to create penalties for people found to have caused “substantive harm” with racial profiling.