[1hr]Neely Fuller jr - Gun Control Stand Your Ground Law|| 2 May 2012
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[1hr]Neely Fuller jr - Gun Control & Stand Your Ground Law|| 2 May 2012 - Video
More than eight years after two young men were shot to death at a keg party in The Acreage, the tragedy must be examined by another jury, a state appellate court wrote in an opinion released Wednesday.
John T. Dorsey, found guilty of the killings in 2009 and again at a 2012 retrial, is entitled to a third trial so he can use Florida's Stand Your Ground law to argue the shootings of Stephen Bunting, 20, and John Lott, 19, were justified, the 4th District Court of Appeal said.
The decision for Dorsey, 28, wipes away a 45-year prison sentence for the 2012 manslaughter convictions; he's been in custody since his arrest just hours after the Aug. 25, 2006 deaths.
The reversal follows recent appellate court opinions favoring the rights of convicted felons to use the controversial self-defense law to try to avoid prosecutions.
Under Stand Your Ground, people don't have to retreat and can legally use deadly force if the person reasonably believes doing so is necessary "to prevent imminent death."
In Wednesday's opinion, the appellate judges wrote Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Charles Burton gave Dorsey's jury improper instructions the defendant could not lean on Stand Your Ground.
The instruction referred to a section of the law that prevents people from seeking immunity under the law if they were "engaging in an unlawful activity." It's illegal for felons to possess guns.
But another section of the law doesn't have the "unlawful activity" restriction, and Dorsey may pursue a defense under those grounds, the opinion states.
Arrest records show Dorsey and a friend drove to a house party and parked in an open lot nearby. Witnesses told investigators that Lott and Bunting came up to Dorsey and they got into a fight. Dorsey then fired his gun twice, hitting both men in the chest, and they died at the scene.
In 2009, Dorsey was convicted of two second-degree murder counts, but in 2011 the appellate court ordered a new trial on manslaughter charges. The court upheld convictions for two weapons charges.
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Palm Beach County felon wins third trial; this time over Stand Your Ground appeal
Octobers issue of GQ features a profile of the family of George Zimmerman, the man who owes his life to Floridas stand your ground law and extremely understanding jurors, after fatally shooting Trayvon Martin. Writer Amanda Robb paints a picture of a family tormented by paranoia, as the Zimmermans struggle to live in a country where the vast majority of the population despises their brother.
Here are a few of the most fascinating, heartbreaking, complicated moments.
Their paranoid security protocols
They watched the movie Argoto learn how to live like CIA. Code names for everyone. No mail delivered to the house. No visitors. No talking to the few neighbors they had. No long phone conversations keep it short and vague to outwit surveillance. Never discuss your whereabouts via phone or text. Keep a weapon close by at all times. [George's brother] Robert slept with his gun. Still does.
And in case someoneor multiple someonesdecided to mount an attack on the house, the Zimmermans pre-packed their own go-bags filled with everything they would need to flee in a rush, as well as what they called footballs like the one President Obama has with the nuclear codesthat contained laptops, cell phones, and other essential electronics.
They also memorized a color-coded threat-ID system. Code blue: Law enforcement at the door. Code brown: Draw your weapons. Code black: Come out guns blazing.
Concealed weapons certification class
Robb accompanied Gladys to a concealed weapons certification class to learn more about the regions gun culture. The classs instructor, a police officer in Belle Isle, repeatedly recommends accessorizing your gun, which he illustrates by lisping and wagging his wrist like a stereotypical queen. The instructor keeps up the act until he finds out I live in New York City. Then he veers into Colonel Klink from the 1960s TV series Hogans Heroes. Welcome to Germany, he says. Everyone on the train!
We dont actually learn to fire our weapons in this concealed-weapons class, so eventually I tell the instructor, I have no idea how to load, aim, or shoot a gun. He recommends I get a .38. Its a good baby gun, he says. Yes! [George's mother] Gladys exclaims. Personally, I love my .45! Then she does this kind of Angie Dickinson draw-and-aim move from the TV showPolice Woman.
A brush with luxury
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You and your brother are evil: GQs insane profile of George Zimmermans family
The mother of a teen slain at a Jacksonville gas station after he and his friends refused to turn down their music will be among the panelists at a seminar in Orlando about the controversial Stand Your Ground law.
Jordan Davis' mother, Lucia McBath, will be among the experts examining whether there is racial disparity in the application or enforcement of Stand Your Ground laws.
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is hosting the forum, which takes place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 17 in the grand ballroom of the Rosen Centre Hotel on International Drive. The forum is open to the public.
Law school professors, state legislators and public policy organizations also will take part in the discussion.
Florida has been a hot bed for debate on the law following the deaths of Trayvon Martin in Sanford and Davis. Stand Your Ground gained notoriety in the trial as neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman's attorneys said he was defending himself against Trayvon. Zimmerman was acquitted.
In the Davis case, defendant Michael Dunn said he fired his weapon into the car after he saw Davis with a gun. A jury was deadlocked on the murder charge but convicted him on attempted murder. Dunn is scheduled be retried for murder later this month.
The panelists include:
Sen. Christopher L. Smith, Florida Senate
Rep. Alan B. Williams, Florida House of Representatives
Rep. Harold Mitchell, Jr., South Carolina House of Representatives
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Panel to discuss 'racial disparity' in Stand Your Ground law
The shooting death of a Livingston County man could put new focus on Michigans controversial stand your ground law.
The attorney for Martin Edward Zale said Tuesday that her client would claim self-defense during his expected murder trial in the death of Derek Flemming.
Zale, 69, of Marion Township shot Flemming, a 43-year-old Howell resident, Sept. 2 in what has been called a road-rage incident.
But the man who drafted the law said it should apply only in three specific instances.
While any defense would have to pass muster with a jury, state Sen. Rick Jones said the law is clear.
It involves cases of imminent death, great bodily harm or of the horrible crime of rape, said Jones, R-Lansing Township.
Stand your ground, Jones said, is a misnomer.
It is about your right to self-defense, he said.
Related: Road rage victim's wife: 'He was only trying to protect me'
911 audio: Road rage shooting
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Road rage shooting case could focus on 'stand your ground'