‘Shoot First’ Laws Lead to Increase in Violence, Costing Taxpayers Millions Annually, According to New Everytown Report

NEW YORK – Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund today released a new report confirming Shoot First laws – also known as Stand Your Ground laws – have increased gun homicide rates by up to 11 percent nationally, translating to more than 700 senseless gun deaths each year. Shoot First laws threaten public safety by encouraging armed vigilantism and allow a person to shoot and kill another in a public area even when there are clear and safe ways to retreat from a dangerous situation. 

Everytown’s new economic analysis shows these 700 yearly gun homicides cost nearly $11 billion in healthcare, law enforcement, and criminal justice costs. Taxpayers bear $500 million of that cost directly. Shoot First laws consistently fail to protect vulnerable communities – not only do people of color face increased risk of victimization in Shoot First states, where the laws can embolden racist violence, but convictions are also unfairly skewed against them. Additionally, the research shows Shoot First laws do not reliably protect women and are often applied against them.

“Shoot First laws do nothing to protect our communities from violence — research shows they only lead to a significant increase in homicides,” said Nick Suplina, Senior Vice President of Law & Policy at Everytown for Gun Safety. “Backed by a gun lobby that consistently puts profits over safety, Shoot First laws lower the threshold for getting away with murder. We must stand our ground only in rejecting all legislation that gives people a free license to shoot and kill.”

Key takeaways from the report include:

• Research shows that these laws have increased gun homicides by up to 11 percent nationally, translating to more than 700 deaths annually.
  • Some Shoot First states have seen even steeper increases, with those rates rising by 30 percent or more in Alabama, Florida, and Missouri. 
  • And though many people associate gun homicides and assaults with cities, research shows that Shoot First laws do not discriminate, increasing violence in suburban and urban counties, as well as among white and Black populations.
• These laws disproportionately impact communities of color and embolden racist violence. In Shoot First states, homicides in which white shooters kill Black victims are deemed justifiable four times as often as when the situation is reversed.
• According to the report, Shoot First laws are often skewed against women. Women are most often victimized by family members or intimate partners, but in the years since these laws were first enacted, it’s clear that they have not protected victims of domestic violence.
• In many cases when someone claimed a Shoot First defense, investigators report that the shooter had prior arrests or convictions for violent crimes.
  • An investigation of cases in Florida found that roughly three out of five people in this state claiming a Shoot First defense had prior arrests before killing someone and invoking this law.

Under traditional self-defense law, a person can use force to defend themselves anywhere. If they’re outside their home, though, they can’t use force that is likely to kill or seriously injure someone if there’s a safe way to avoid it. Shoot First laws give people a license to shoot and kill in public, even if they started the confrontation in question, and even when they can safely walk away from the danger.

As long as Shoot First laws – which are notably deeply unpopular – remain in effect, communities across the country are at risk of violence. A 2021 survey found that nearly 80 percent of adults did not support Shoot First laws, including majorities of gun owners and Republicans. A list of the 29 states with Shoot First laws currently in effect can be found here. Lawmakers should put the safety of their constituents first and repeal these dangerous laws in their states.