New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is backing a national effort to overturn so-called “Stand your Ground" laws. As Trimmel Gomes reports, the mayor says the laws make America less safe.
Bloomberg, along with groups such as the NAACP are calling on states like Florida to repeal, amend or defeat what he calls “shoot first” laws. He says the laws only promote vigilantism, pointing to the Trayvon Martin case an example.
“It’s now clear that these laws have undermined the integrity of the justice system and done real harm to public safety.”
Mayor Bloomberg said George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer who shot an unarmed black teenager and claimed self-defense, shouldn’t have had a gun in the first place. So far 25 states have similar"Stand Your Ground" laws.