A study released this week has found that 'stand your ground' laws, which give gun holders the right to use their weapon in public in self-defense, are actually associated with an increase in firearms homicides.
Laws referred to as"stand your ground" and the"Castle Doctrine" have been passed in more than 22 states since 2005."Stand your ground laws," have proliferated around the country after they were first introduced in Florida in 2005, with proponents contending that they've kept neighborhoods safer.
The increase in homicides was greatest in southern states that first passed the legislation -- Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Missouri -- ranging from 16.2% to 33.5% after the laws were passed according to the study.A customer looks at handguns before making a purchase at the National Armory gun store on Dec. 23, 2015 in Pompano Beach, Fla.
Researchers did not provide any conclusion as to why the"stand your ground" laws were associated with the rise in killings. The report cautioned that"stand your ground" laws alone may not be sufficient to explain the increase and said other factors, such as other firearms laws, had to be considered.A gun control advocate who has been analyzing shooting data contended the laws have motivated some to act like vigilantes.
"We've seen it time and time again. They encourage people to continue aggression even in situations where violence is avoidable," she told ABC News.The report looked at public health data on deaths from 41 states, 23 of which enacted"stand your ground" laws between Jan. 1, 2000, and Dec. 31, 2016. The data showed that during that period there were 129,831 firearm homicides in the"stand your ground" states while there were 40,828 recorded in the other states.
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