Traditional self-defense law in many states required a person to retreat if safely possible before using deadly force outside the home. Florida passed the first modern stand your ground law in 2005, with strong backing from the National Rifle Association. The American Legislative Exchange Council then promoted it as a model bill. More than half of states now have similar laws or court rulings.
The laws drew national attention after the 2012 killing of Trayvon Martin, a Black 17-year-old, in Sanford, Florida. Self-defense law was central to the acquittal of the man who shot him.
Urban Institute analysis of FBI data from 2005 to 2010 found that killings of Black people by white shooters were ruled justified far more often than killings of white people by Black shooters. The gap was larger in stand your ground states. Studies have also linked these laws to increases in firearm homicides.