Florida Lawmakers, Voters Stick by Stand Your Ground

Defending self-defense

TALLAHASSEE—Florida has become a broad national target for its "stand your ground" law since the July 13 acquittal of George Zimmerman.

The Daily Show mocked Florida as "the worst state." A protest group entering its third week staging a sit-in outside Gov. Rick Scott's office has gained fans in England and Japan. And the law has sparked a rebuke from U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, who said it may encourage "violent situations to escalate."

But while the "Gunshine State" finds itself in the cross hairs of world public opinion, the lawmakers who approved "stand your ground" in 2005 have received little, if any, electoral blowback.