The Trayvon Martin-George Zimmerman case focused most of the country’s attention on race relations. And that’s where much of the conversation remains.
But if you would like to know more about how Florida’s Stand Your Ground legislation got signed into law, watch this report by MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow. SYG was signed into law by former Florida Governor Jeb Bush during his last term.
Since then, 20 more states have passed some version of SYG. Unfortunately, no one seemed to see the downside to the law’s shoot-first-and-ask-questions-later plausibility, and the number of justifiable homicides in those states has steadily climbed since 2005, according to Maddow.
Also interesting is how the NRA helped to promote the law through its involvement with the American Legislative Exchange Council. Many of the biggest consumer companies in the US are also members of policy-pushing ALEC — brands like Pepsico and Kraft. Oops!
Many of these companies are now rethinking whether it’s good business strategy to be seen supporting an organization that promotes legislation that could potentially result in the death of their customers. And they’re dropping their membership.
Will any of this attention to SYG lead to repeal of the law? Unlikely, Maddow says.