Jacob Sullum on 'Stand Your Ground' and the Michael Dunn Verdict
At the center of the case against Michael Dunn is a disappearing shotgun. The middle-aged software developer claims 17-year-old Jordan Davis threatened to kill him with it during an argument over loud music at a Jacksonville, Florida, gas station in November 2012. But police never found a gun, and no witness reported seeing one. It seems at least one juror nevertheless found Dunn's story plausible, since his trial ended last week without a verdict on the murder charge related to his shooting of Davis. But Jacob Sullum says it is hard to see how that outcome can be attributed to Florida's "stand your ground" self-defense law, which has been widely blamed for hanging the jury.