Foreseeable Consequences Of Bad Law

A couple of days ago, I called Florida's "stand your ground" law a "lynch law" and took issue with the idea that Florida's legislators couldn't have foreseen such events as the killing of Trayvon Martin.

Now we have explicit confirmation from the then Chief of Police in Miami that he and other police chiefs in Florida opposed the law and explained the reasons to the legislature. "Trying to control shootings by members of a well-trained and disciplined police department," former Chief John Timoney explains, "is a daunting enough task. Laws like “stand your ground” give citizens unfettered power and discretion with no accountability. It is a recipe for disaster"

I don't believe my characterization of the law as "lynch law" is inaccurate. You don't have to have a mob to have a lynching. What you do need is one or more citizens who decide to take the law into their own hands. It seems I wasn't the only person to make the connection between "stand your ground" and lynching. Here are some cartoons that make the point better than I did.

This law gives victims no protection, either through criminal or civil law. It needs to be revoked. In the meantime, why would any tourist visit Florida and risk an encounter with an armed person?

I wonder if the State of Florida even has the power under its own constitution or the US Constitution to deprive injured citizens from the ability to seek redress in the courts.