Stand Your Ground Laws do More Good Than Harm

My opponent has not put much work into their refutations, simply copying and pasting information from the internet without providing sources/links. Refutations: 1. They pointed out a contradiction in my argument, however I do not understand it since they did not explain it AT ALL or include a source so I can look at it. "Be careful that your sources don't give people the means with which to bring down your argument" is what they said, but they haven't showed how this brings down my argument. 2. They said that elderly people are unstable. I disagree. Because there is no evidence/source/anything included in this argument, therefore it should be rejected. 3. They said that Miss Baker's case is irrelevant. I disagree. Because stand your ground laws DO NOT apply when escape is an option, rather only when there is NO means of retreat. I kindly ask my opponent to at least have a little knowledge about the topic before he begins debating. Therefore, Miss Baker's case does apply in this context. 4. They said that an Arab man walked on to his yard, and explained how he could have shot them. However, I disagree, because Stand Your Ground laws do not provide this "easy excuse" of shooting him. My opponent must have been threatened for his life in order to shoot the Arab man. If the Arab had, say, taken a battering ram and knocked down his door, then Stand Your Ground laws would have applied. Therefore, this case is misconstrued and irrelevant. 5. My esteemed colleague said that you should do all within your power not to hurt people. I agree, however what does this have to do with Stand Your Ground Laws? Under a Stand Your Ground Law, you can only use force if you feel threatened; it cannot be used as an excuse to hurt people, and in a real court situation, "I thought" does not fly, and real evidence is needed. Therefore, this argument should be discounted. Main Arguments: 1. Stand your ground laws do more good than harm because they reduce crime Stand your ground laws are proven to beneficial to crime rates. According to "More guns, Less crime", by John Lott these laws reduce murder rates by 9% and other violent crimes by 11%. http://en.wikipedia.org...... The impact of this is there is no harm associated with a law that lessens murder and other violent crimes rates. 2. Stand your ground laws do more good than harm because the elderly and disabled can protect themselves from people threatening them. Let"s face it, elderly people and disabled people do not have much of a chance to fight back without Stand Your Ground Laws. One may argue that self-defense laws provide these benefits, however with self-defense laws, all means of retreat must be exhausted before force is used. With a Stand Your Ground law, we can give elderly and disabled people the opportunity to fight back to offenders without having to retreat since they most like cannot retreat due to their old age and disability. According to http://www.victimsofcrime.org..., elderly people who were victims of crimes were at 2,400. That"s 2,400 people, plus the large amounts of disabled victims, who have been protected better with Stand Your Ground Laws. The impact of this argument is that the elderly and disabled have a harder time defending themselves in deadly situations, causing a life lost. With stand your ground laws, these people can protect themselves further in situations like this. 3.A) Stand Your Ground Laws do more good than harm because citizens can protect themselves from any dangers with them. Imagine if a criminal broke into your house with a gun. He aims the gun at you. However, with stand your ground laws, you able to use your own gun and save your life. Without them, you would have died. I would like to tell you a different story. Basil Parasiris was a 41-year-old businessman who lived with his wife and two children. In the early morning hours of March 2, 2007, the Parasiris family was awakened by a surprise visit from nine police officers. A warrant was issued to search Paris's home for drugs. In order to prevent Parasiris from being able to destroy potential evidence of drugs, this warrant allowed the cops to use "dynamic entry" and enter the home without knocking. They entered Parasiris"s bedroom with their guns drawn, but Parasiris grabbed his .357 Magnum and fired at them. Constable Daniel Tessier was shot twice and killed instantly while Parasiris"s wife and another officer were wounded in the ensuing gunfire. When Parasiris realized the intruders were police officers, he immediately dropped his weapon, showing that he wished no harm to law enforcement. Let"s all thank Stand Your Ground Laws for getting Parisis "off the hook" since the police officers basically posed as burglars. All he did was stand his ground, and he had every right to do so. Thank you and I eagerly await to debate the third round.