Here’s What ‘Stand Your Ground’ Gun Laws Do, Find Out if Your State Has One

Trying to figure out what a 'stand your ground' law is? Here's a brief explanation alongside a list of state that have similar laws that are protecting the man who shot Trayvon Martin.

By Jorge Rivas Mar 22, 2012

In a look at ["Stand Your Ground"](http://www.propublica.org/article/the-23-states-that-have-sweeping-self-defense-laws-just-like-floridas) laws, ProPublica’s Cora Currier explains that "In 2005, Florida became the first state to explicitly expand a person’s right to use deadly force for self-defense. Deadly force is justified if a person is gravely threatened, in the home, or ‘any other place where he or she has a right to be.’ In Florida, once self-defense is invoked, the burden is on the prosecution to disprove the claim." Currier notes, "Most states have long allowed the use of reasonable force, sometimes including deadly force, to protect oneself inside one’s home–the so-called Castle Doctrine. Outside the home, people generally still have a ‘duty to retreat’ from their attacker, if possible, to avoid confrontation. In other words, if you can get away and you shoot anyway, you can be prosecuted. In Florida, there is no duty to retreat. You can ‘stand your ground’ outside your home too."