Trayvon Martin's mother asks for 'stand your ground' review at hearing

WASHINGTON, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, told a Senate Judiciary subcommittee in Washington Tuesday to roll back or clarify state "stand your ground" laws.

Fulton commented a misinterpretation of the law by George Zimmerman led to her son's shooting and death in Homestead, Fla., in February 2012. Zimmerman was later acquitted of manslaughter charges.

She spoke at a hearing convened to explore issues surrounding "stand your ground" laws relating to use of deadly force in situations of personal danger. More than 30 states have some variation of the law. The hearing had been scheduled for mid-September but was postponed in the wake of the mass shooting at the Washington Navy Yard on Sept. 16, The Washington Post reported.

In prepared testimony, Fulton asked to "see the laws surrounding self-defense clarified, so that they are applied logically and most importantly, consistently," and suggested laws be amended "to include language that clarifies its original intent."

She cited comments by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who signed Florida's law and said at the time, "'Stand your ground' means stand your ground. It does not mean chase after somebody who's turned their back."

That law, in Florida, "certainly did not work in my case," Fulton said. "The person that shot and killed my son is walking the streets today, and this law does not work. We need to seriously take a look at this law."