you were in the courtroom. yes. for jury deliberations. how does this dunn case affect the fight against stand your ground? well, the point is regardless of the outcome, it was always a feeling that we must change this law and we all must go to tallahassee and change it there. because even when you talk about the jury deliberation, part of it was in the instructions to the jury. stand your ground is a part of the instruction. whether it was discussed or not. it was in the zimmerman case. and so basically, it is part of the jury s instruction. and we must deal with it. it s too broad. it s a sloppy law. it says that you can shoot and kill. you can start the fight, and then say i felt threatened. that s bull.
came likely down to florida s self-defense law that includes stand your ground, saying if you feel reasonably threatened, and the person isn t engaged in unlawful activity in a place they have a right to be, they have no duty to retreat. a right to stand their ground, and can meet force with force, including deadly force. if they reasonably believe it is necessary. the trial sends a chilling message to parents that you can shoot first and ask questions later. that s not justice, and this law needs to change. back with us tonight, former prosecutor faith jenkins, florida criminal defense lawyer ken padowitz, and legal analyst lisa bloom. i want to hear from all of you first, starting with you, lisa. your reaction to the verdict.
trial saying it s a very confusing to the jury. so why do we have something on the books like that? and how do we sit there and allow this jury who the judge says may be confused. he had already read it one time. make a decision when you have a young man that lost his life. well, that s exactly it, reverend. shame on the state of florida. the law is confusing in every criminal case to begin with. and all lawyers, whether they be prosecutors or defense attorneys are well aware of this. but when you hamstring the prosecution with this self-defense law that basically confuses the jurors even further, confusion leads to reasonable doubt. as a defense attorney, i m going to use the law in representing my clients to the best of my ability. but the prosecution shouldn t be hamstrung. they already have a very high burden, which they should in a free society such as ours that they have to prove our case beyond a reasonable doubt, and
and it quickly spread across the country. over 20 states. but dunn s trial is the latest in florida re-igniting calls for change to its self-defense law. there were calls for change when george zimmerman was acquitted in the killing of trayvon martin, and it came up again in florida, again when marissa alexander was sentenced to 20 years after firing what she says was a warning shot. her husband had a history of domestic abuse. yet she wasn t allowed to claim stand your ground. she is currently awaiting a new trial. so that s three high profile cases in florida alone. this law is dangerous and frightening, and we must fight to change it. joining me now is congresswoman corrine brown, democratic of florida and a tireless fighter to repeal stand your ground. congresswoman, thanks for being here. thank you. and thank you for your leadership.
one of the reasons the so-called loud music murder trial is so important is it puts the debate over shoot first law back in the spotlight. florida was the first state to add the stand your ground law to its books in 2005, and it quickly spread to 24 other states. the debate exploded when we found out an unarmed teenager was killed in florida. and now once again it s sparking controversy in florida in michael dunn s trial. i found it interesting to hear him use a lot of the language of the stand your ground law today. i saw two young men with menacing expressions. he is showing me a gun, and he is threatening me. i was in fear for my life, and i