What is Standing Your Ground in Alabama?

Right now, emotions are high across the nation as George Zimmerman is now a free man after fatally shooting 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.  The case, which wasn't  originally investigated, has garnered national attention with some civil rights advocates comparing it to the likes of the Emmitt Till story.

Find a copy of Alabama's "Stand Your Ground Law" here.

If nothing else, this case has brought to light the dynamics of the laws by which we are governed. Did you know that Alabama's law says it's okay to use deadly force against a person that is perceived to be "using or about to use unlawful deadly physical force"? I don't know about you, but that seems rather vague to me. I can understand the need to protect yourself and your family, but how does one determine that a person is about to use unlawful deadly physical force before it actually happens?

Is this a law that needs to be more clearly defined? I think it's time for us to meet with the representatives we've elected and tell them what we need them to do for us instead of allowing them to think for us.