Repeal Shoot First Laws

What does it solve?

Shoot First, also known as Stand Your Ground, laws allow people to shoot to kill in public even when they can safely walk away from the danger. These laws threaten public safety by encouraging armed vigilantism. They allow a person to kill another person in a public area even when there are clear and safe ways to retreat from a dangerous situation.

Shoot First laws encourage avoidable escalation of violence, and they do not deter crime. Under traditional self-defense law, a person can use force to defend themselves anywhere. If they’re outside their home, though, they can’t use force that is likely to kill or seriously injure someone if there’s a safe way to avoid it. Shoot First laws allow people to shoot to kill in public even when they can safely walk away from the danger. These laws are associated with increases in homicides and injuries, and disproportionately impact communities of color. Lawmakers should put the safety of their constituents first and repeal these dangerous laws in their states.

Which states have rejected Stand Your Ground laws?

21 states have rejected this policy

Shoot First laws encourage escalated violence.

Under traditional self-defense law, a person can use force to defend themselves anywhere. When they are outside their home, however, they cannot use force likely to kill or seriously injure someone if there is a safe way to avoid it. Traditional self-defense gives people the right to protect themselves, but also recognizes that it is always best to avoid killing someone if possible. It does not require a person to retreat from a situation if retreating would put them in danger, but requires a person to avoid killing another if there is a clear and safe way to do so. These laws upend traditional self-defense by allowing people to shoot to kill in public, even when they can safely walk away from the danger.

Shoot First laws are associated with increases in homicide rates resulting in 700 additional homicides each year. Research on these laws has demonstrated that these laws are associated with increases in firearm homicides. At the state level, these laws have been associated with considerable increases in gun deaths, including unintentional deaths: 6 to 7 percent more gun deaths occurred in suburban counties and 8 percent more gun deaths occurred in urban counties in states that adopted these laws.

Stand Your Ground laws disproportionately impact communities of color. In states with these laws, homicides in which white shooters kill Black victims are deemed justifiable five times more frequently than when the situation is reversed.

By the numbers

In states with Shoot First laws, homicides in which white shooters kill Black victims are deemed justifiable five times more frequently than when the situation is reversed.

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32%

The implementation of Florida’s Stand Your Ground law was associated with a 32 percent increase in monthly firearm homicide rates.

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Shoot first laws are necessary to prevent harm.

In most cases, you can avoid a conflict when one party retreats. For example, in the majority of Florida Stand Your Ground cases, the person who claimed Stand Your Ground could have retreated to avoid the confrontation.

Featured Resources

Stand Your Ground Laws encourage people to shoot first and ask questions later

A License to Kill: Shoot First Laws, also known as Stand Your Ground

Stand Your Ground laws distort the public perception of lawful self-defense and encourage people to shoot first and ask questions later.

Fact Sheet

Gun Law Navigator

The Gun Law Navigator is the largest historical database of modern U.S. gun laws.

Data Tracker

EveryStat: Gun Violence Data in Your Community

See how gun violence impacts communities by state, county, race and ethnicity, gender, and intent.

Data Tracker