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Tyra Myers
Mrs. Harrell
English 4
October 21, 2014
Research Question: Stand Your Ground laws, are they a good idea?
Working Thesis Statement: I feel that stand your ground laws are a good idea to an extent
depending on how far the law goes with them.
Refined Thesis Statement: Stand Your Ground Laws are a good idea because the rationale of
the law is to uphold the defense of ones personal property and when one feels his/her property is
under attack they have a right to stand their ground.
Annotated Bibliography
Auerbach, Michael P. "Stand Your Ground" Laws: Overview." Points Of View: Stand Your
Ground Laws (2014): 1. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 6 Oct. 2014.
This article states that there have been efforts made through the recent years by the
legislative bodies in expanding the already existing laws in regards to self-defense in the face of
a criminal act. These laws previously applied only to individuals that were defending themselves
against intruders that were dangerous. The expansion of these laws, however, have been explored
by the legislatures. They are also being discussed presently in the European nations as well. The
Stand Your Ground laws are laws that are allowing individuals to defend him- or herself from
another that potentially poses a threat that is legitimate, even if the individual is threatened
outside their own property. There is much debate on whether Stand Your Ground laws are

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legitimate in serving to protect the public. Therefore, this article will help me prove my claim
towards whether or not stand your ground laws are a good idea because it tells about stand your
ground and what they are about.

Jonsson, Patrik. "Stand Your Ground Laws: Do They Put Teens in Greater Danger?" SelfDefense Laws. Ed. Tamara Thompson. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2014.
At Issue. Rpt. from "'Stand Your Ground' Laws: Do They Put Teens in Greater Danger?"
Christian Science Monitor. 2012. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 2 Oct. 2014.
This article states that there are many raising questions about recent events towards
whether Stand Your Ground and Castle Doctrine laws as to which offer protect that us legal
to people who hurt or even kill another in self-defensecould disproportionately harm
teenagers. The proliferation of these two laws has much changed the landscape for the teens in
America. There have been many recent incidents to which these laws have been cited as
justification where several youths have been shot to death. This is why the experts say that Castle
Doctrine and Stand Your Ground laws are going to disproportionately result in more
consequences to teenagers that are beyond the scope of what the kids were really doing. Though
there is no data towards the impact of these laws that they have on teens yet. Teens need to be
aware of Castle Doctrine and Stand Your Ground laws can increase the danger of taking any
part of dumb pranks and petty crimes significantly. However, with the recent incidents rising
concern of the danger being increased to teens, they show also the power that is retained by
prosecutors in taking action against the ones who, they say, misapply the law. Therefore, this
article is going to help prove my claim because it talks about if it is good for teenagers or not.

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Roberts, Joshua K. "The Use of Deadly Force Allowed in Stand Your Ground Laws Should Be a
Last Resort." Community Policing. Ed. Roman Espejo. Farmington Hills, MI:
Greenhaven Press, 2014. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Deadly Force and the Right
of Self-Defense Stand Your Ground Laws." Forensic Examiner 89 (Winter 2012).
Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 2 Oct. 2014.
This article states how a high value is set on human life by most civilized societies. Since
the dawn of time there have been rules and codes of conduct set in place in protecting the
sanctity of life and in guarding towards being against the unwarranted of human live being taken.
The harshest of punishment and most crime worthy that almost all societies of both the present
and long ago and has been considered to be unjustified is the taking of a human life. So any
analysis done with the use of deadly force in self-defense has to start in a necessary examination
towards the concept of murder, with this there are certain laws that obtain. Whether people are
proponent of these laws, or not, it may be apparent that they have roots that are very deep
towards global jurisprudence, which includes here in the United States. Every case hinges, by
state-by-state applications of laws, on the specifics towards the facts in determining whether the
circumstance that exist allows for the use of deadly force. With there being different rules set of
laws that are different with every state, and that each have various caveats and exceptions, and it
makes it impossible to opine any universal rule as to self-defense. With this being said, one can
always use reasonable force. This article is going to help my claim because it states about the
laws and what is okay to do and what is not okay to do with force.