When it comes to polls, I’m a skeptic unless I know the sampling and the precise wording of questions. And sometimes knowing that only confirms the skepticism when I see the results. Case in point: According to a recent poll by the well-regarded folks at Quinnipiac University, Floridians support–60-34–a state law saying a person who feels threatened may use deadly force to fight back even if he could safely retreat instead.
This, of course, is a reference to Florida’s controversial “stand your ground” law. In fact, it sounds not unlike an extension of the defending-your-“castle” rationale. It’s hardly unexpected that a majority of castle-dwelling Floridians would be supportive.
Just asking, but I wonder what results would be yielded if respondents were asked: “Would you support a law saying an armed person who initiates a confrontation and, as a consequence, feels threatened, may use deadly force to legally fight back instead of safely retreating?”