Marco Rubio backs 'Stand Your Ground' law

Senator Marco Rubio
From the Politico.com -  As a Florida House member, Marco Rubio voted to enact his state’s Stand Your Ground policy — the controversial law now at the heart of the Trayvon Martin case. As a senator, Rubio says he’s still standing behind the law — at least for now.  “I voted for the law because the law had sound rationale, and I think it still does,” the Republican freshman and prospective vice presidential candidate told POLITICO on Tuesday. The law has come under fresh scrutiny in the wake of Martin’s killing, who was shot by George Zimmerman, a local man who has indicated he acted in self defense after he shot the unarmed 17-year-old last month. Police have cited Florida’s Stand Your Ground law as a reason why charges have not been filed against Zimmerman, spawning state and federal investigations. Rubio says he doesn’t know anything about the facts of the case other than what he’s gleaned from media reports, adding that it’s premature to debate whether the seven-year-old law needs to be overhauled in light of the tragedy. “I think it’s important we let the Justice Department, the FBI, the state attorneys and everyone else down there [investigate],” Rubio said in the Capitol Thursday. “Let’s wait for the facts to come back before we have a debate on whether a law should be changed.” His comments echo those of lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, but Rubio has longer ties to the law than most of his colleagues. Rubio, who later became speaker of the state House, voted as a member of the body in 2005 to send the legislation to then-Gov. Jeb Bush, who signed it into law. Read more
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