1. In your view, are stand-your-ground laws moral? Explain.
2. Under the castle doctrine, recognized in more than 20 states, generally homeowners may use force—including deadly force—to defend themselves in their own home.
a. How might the castle doctrine be supported morally?
b. In 2012, Fredenberg, an unarmed Montana resident, was shot and killed by Harper, a man who was romantically involved with Fredenberg’s wife. Fredenberg had gone to Harper’s home to confront him about the affair. Under Montana’s castle doctrine, Harper did not face charges. In your view, is this an appropriate application of the castle doctrine? Explain.
On February 26, 2012, Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old African-American male, was shot and killed by 28-year-old George Zimmerman. In the early evening, Martin, wearing a hooded gray sweatshirt, had walked from his relative’s town house to a nearby convenience store to buy candy and a soft drink; he was unarmed.