The bad news is that it would be because of Pennsylvania's "Castle Doctrine Law" or "Stand Your Ground Law".
A stand-your-ground law states that a person may use deadly force in self-defense when there is reasonable belief of a threat, without an obligation to retreat first.
The National Rifle Association backed Castle Doctrine Law was signed by Governor Corbett on June 28, 2011.
So far our local drug dealers have not used Pennsylvania's "Shoot First Ask Questions Later" law as an excuse to murder a rival, so far.
Pennsylvania drug gangs haven't used our "shoot first ask questions later law" as drug dealers do in Florida. But give it some time; Florida's law went into effect 7 years ago. Pennsylvania's law is so new our drug dealers don't know it exists.
"In Pennsylvania, since the law's adoption, it has been cited in two cases that involved men killing their wives' boyfriends. In both cases, the men were not charged. (To illustrate that this isn't strictly a gun issue, one of those cases, near Pittsburgh, involved a man killing his wife's lover with a bow and arrow.)"
From:
York Daily Record/York Sunday News
"Whatever the result of the investigation into the shooting death of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Fla., the case should lead gun-happy state legislatures, including Pennsylvania's, to review 'stand your ground' laws. "
From:
The Times Tribune
Stand ground for justice
3/30/12 2:03 PM
I added a link to a New York Times OP-ED by someone who is one of the world's top law enforcement experts. John Timoney. You may remember him as a former Philadelphia Police Commissioner."Trying to control shootings by members of a well-trained and disciplined police department is a daunting enough task. Laws like “stand your ground” give citizens unfettered power and discretion with no accountability. It is a recipe for disaster."
"Police officers are trained to de-escalate highly charged encounters with aggressive people, using deadly force as a last resort. Citizens, on the other hand, may act from emotion and perceived threats. But “stand your ground” gives citizens the right to use force in public if they feel threatened. As the law emphatically states, a citizen has 'no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground.”
MORE AT:
By JOHN F. TIMONEY
Manama, Bahrain
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