'''CONNECTING THE DOTS BETWEEN ALEC, WAL-MART, THE NRA, AND THE FLORIDA LAW CITED BY SOME TO IMMUNIZE TRAYVON MARTIN’S KILLER'''
'''Tick Tock on Florida's "Stand Your Ground" Gun Law that Was Backed by ALEC, the NRA, Wal-Mart and Others'''
''(Prepared 3-23-12 by Lisa Graves, Center for Media and Democracy, and Nick Surgey, Common Cause)''
''(Edited excerpt based on a timeline prepared by Lisa Graves and Nick Surgey on 3-23-12, shortly after the Trayvon Martin shooting)''
*Early on the evening of February 26, 2012, '''George Zimmerman''' shot and killed '''Trayvon Martin''', 17, an African-American, in a gated community in Sanford, Fla. Trayvon, whose body was not identified until days later, was walking home after buying Skittles and tea. Zimmerman claimed the shooting was in self-defense. Citing a recent Florida statute known as the “shoot first” law or “Castle Doctrine,” police did not charge Zimmerman and did not seize the gun used to kill Trayvon.
*The Florida "Stand Your Ground" law became the [[Media:7J2-Castle_Doctrine_Act_Exposed.PDF|template for "model" legislation]] endorsed and promoted nationally by the '''[https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ALEC American Legislative Exchange Council] (ALEC)''', a non-profit entity funded by major corporations and interest groups including '''[https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Koch_Industries Koch Industries]''' and the '''[https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=National_Rifle_Association National Rifle Association] (NRA)'''. The bill expanded the long-standing right of self-defense by extending criminal and civil immunity to shooters who feel threatened by another, creating a statutory “right to stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly force. . .”
*That Florida law became the template for “model” legislation endorsed and promoted nationally by the '''American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC'''), a non-profit entity funded by major corporations and interest groups including '''Koch Industries''' and the '''National Rifle Association (NRA)'''. The bill expanded the long-standing right of self-defense by extending criminal and civil immunity to shooters who feel threatened by another, creating a statutory “right to stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly force. . .”
*'''ALEC''' has recently an annual budget of approximately $7 million and claims that hundreds of its model bills become law each year. It hides its inner workings, including the fact that its model bills often are drafted and always are pre-approved by corporations and lobbyists. ALEC calls itself the nation’s largest group of state legislators, but 98% of its funding comes from corporations and sources other than dues from elected officials, as the Center for Media and Democracy has determined as part of its [[ALEC_Exposed|ALECexposed.org]] project.
*'''ALEC''' has an annual budget of approximately $7 million and claims that hundreds of its model bills become law each year. It hides its inner workings, including the fact that its model bills often are drafted and always are pre-approved by corporations and lobbyists. ALEC calls itself the nation’s largest group of state legislators, but 98% of its funding comes from corporations and sources other than dues from elected officials.
*In August 2005, in Grapevine, Tex., '''NRA''' lobbyist '''Marion Hammer''' asked legislators and lobbyists at a closed-door meeting of '''ALEC’s "[https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Public_Safety_and_Elections_Task_Force Criminal Justice Task Force]"''' to adopt the Florida "Castle Doctrine" bill as an ALEC model bill. The NRA said her pitch "was well received," and the bill was approved "unanimously."<ref>National Rifle Association - Institute for Legislative Action, [https://www.prwatch.org/files/NRA_2005.png NRA Presents ALEC Model Legislation in Grapevine, Texas], organizational legislative update, August 12, 2005</ref><ref>[https://www.prwatch.org/users/35275/brendan-fischer Brendan Fischer], [https://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/03/11366/alec-and-nra-behind-law-may-protect-trayvon-martins-killer ALEC Ratified NRA-Conceived Law That May Protect Trayvon Martin's Killer], ''PRWatch.org'', March 21, 2012</ref>
*In August 2005, in Grapevine, Tex., '''NRA''' lobbyist '''Marion Hammer''' asked legislators and lobbyists at a closed-door meeting of '''ALEC’s “Criminal Justice Task Force”''' to adopt the Florida “Castle Doctrine” bill as an ALEC model bill. The NRA said her pitch “was well received,” and the bill was approved “unanimously.”[1]
*At that time, '''ALEC'''’s public-private Criminal Justice Task Force was co-chaired by '''[https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Wal-Mart Wal-Mart]'''<ref>American Legislative Exchange Council, [https://www.prwatch.org/files/Wal-Mart_Co-Chair.png Criminal Justice Task Force], organizational task force description and co-chair listing showing [https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Wal-Mart Wal-Mart Stores] as "Private Sector Chair," 2005</ref> -- the nation’s largest seller of guns and ammunition.<ref name="minutes">American Legislative Exchange Council, [https://www.prwatch.org/files/ALEC_minutes_05.png Minutes], organizational minutes of 2006 Spring Task Force Summit Criminal Justice Task Force Meeting and 2005 Annual Meeting Criminal Justice Task Force Meeting, 2005 and 2006</ref> ALEC’s staffer for the task force was '''Chris Oswald''' a former “State Liaison” for the '''NRA'''.
*At that time, '''ALEC'''’s public-private Criminal Justice Task Force was co-chaired by '''Wal-Mart'''[2]--the nation’s largest seller of guns and ammunition.[3] ALEC’s staffer for the task force was '''Chris Oswald''' a former “State Liaison” for the '''NRA'''.
*Corporate representatives and state legislators on '''ALEC''' Task Forces have equal votes on proposed model legislation,<ref>American Legislative Exchange Council "ALEC 101" PR document, [[Decoding_ALEC_PR|Telling the ALEC Story]], as of 2011</ref> so the Florida law was ratified by '''Wal-Mart''' and its 2005 public sector co-chair, '''Texas Rep. Ray Allen''', along with other state legislators and corporate lobbyists. It was endorsed by a representative of the '''Koch'''-funded '''Heritage Foundation''', according to minutes of the meeting prepared by ALEC.<ref name="minutes"/>
*Corporate representatives and state legislators on '''ALEC''' Task Forces have equal votes on proposed model legislation,[4] so the Florida law was ratified by '''Wal-Mart''' and its 2005 public sector co-chair, '''Texas Rep. Ray Allen''', along with other state legislators and corporate lobbyists. It was endorsed by a representative of the '''Koch'''-funded '''Heritage Foundation''', according to minutes of the meeting issued by ALEC.[5]
*In September 2005, that bill was adopted by '''[https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ALEC_Board_of_Directors ALEC's National Board of Directors]''', which has a procedure to allow model bills to be approved if there is no objection. The public sector portion of the board was chaired by '''Georgia state Rep. Earl Ehrhart'''; the corporate board included '''Koch Industries''', '''[https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Altria Altria]''' (parent of '''Philip Morris'''), '''[https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Coors Coors]''', '''Bell South''', and '''[https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Verizon Verizon]'''. (ALEC says its corporate board does not vote. Corporations and elected officials have an equal vote in the task forces, where model bills are adopted, however.)
*In September 2005, that bill was adopted by '''ALEC's National Board of Directors''', which has a procedure to allow model bills to be approved if there is no objection. The public sector portion of the board was chaired by '''Georgia state Rep. Earl Ehrhart'''; the corporate board included '''Koch Industries''', '''Altria''' (parent of '''Philip Morris'''), '''Coors''', '''Bell South''', and '''Verizon'''. (ALEC says its corporate board does not vote. Corporations and elected officials have an equal vote in the task forces, where model bills are adopted, however.)
*At the next '''ALEC''' Criminal Justice Task Force meeting, in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, in 2006, the '''NRA'''’s representative to ALEC, '''[https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Tara_Mica Tara Mica]''', reported on the “continued success” in securing passage of ALEC’s “Castle Doctrine” bill in other states.<ref name="minutes"/>
*At the next '''ALEC''' Criminal Justice Task Force meeting, in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, in 2006, the '''NRA'''’s representative to ALEC, '''Tara Mica''', reported on the “continued success” in securing passage of ALEC’s “Castle Doctrine” bill in other states.[6]
*In 2007, an '''ALEC''' "Legislative Report Card" boasted that the '''ALEC/NRA''' Castle Doctrine bill had been introduced or passed in numerous states.<ref name="LegScore">American Legislative Exchange Council, [http://web.archive.org/web/20081106040540/http:/www.alec.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Legislative_Scorecard Legislative Scorecard], organizational document archived by the "WayBack Machine," archive.org, November 6, 2008</ref> ALEC also highlighted ALEC legislators who had introduced versions of the model bill, including '''Texas state Sen. Jeff Wentworth''' and '''Rep. Joe Driver'''.<ref name="LegScore"/>
*In 2007, an '''ALEC''' “Legislative Report Card,” boasted that the '''ALEC/NRA''' Castle Doctrine bill had been introduced or passed in numerous states.[7] ALEC also highlighted ALEC legislators who had introduced versions of the model bill, including '''Texas state Sen. Jeff Wentworth''' and '''Rep. Joe Driver'''.[8]
*To date, more than two dozen states have adopted Castle Doctrine bills with '''ALEC/NRA''' DNA.<ref>National Rifle Association - Institute for Legislative Action, [http://web.archive.org/web/20110111055017/http://www.nraila.org/Issues/FactSheets/Read.aspx?id=204 Maps of State Legislation], organizational legislative page archived by the "WayBack Machine," archive.org, January 11, 2011</ref> '''[https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Scott_Walker Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker]''', an [https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ALEC_Politicians#ALEC_Alumni_Governors ALEC alum], signed into law an NRA-backed bill with some provisions similar to the ALEC bill in 2011. Similar bills are pending in other states.
*To date, more than two dozen states have adopted Castle Doctrine bills with '''ALEC/NRA''' DNA.[9] '''Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker''', an ALEC alum, signed into law an NRA-backed bill with some provisions similar to the ALEC bill in 2011. Similar bills are pending in other states.
*[[File:NRA lobbyist watches Jeb sign.png|thumb|right|alt=NRA lobbyist, Marion Hammer, watches Jeb Bush sign Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law in 2005|NRA lobbyist, Marion Hammer, watches Jeb Bush sign Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law in 2005]]The Florida bill that became the ALEC model was signed on April 26, 2005 by '''[https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Jeb_Bush Gov. Jeb Bush]''', with the '''NRA'''’s lobbyist, '''Marion Hammer''', standing alongside.<ref>[[Media:NRA lobbyist watches Jeb sign.png|NRA lobbyist, Marion Hammer, watches Jeb Bush sign Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law in 2005]], Photo available via [http://blogwood.com/archived/date/2005/04/ Blogwood 2.0], April 27, 2005</ref> Jury instructions were issued in the fall of 2005 that expressly include the "stand your ground" language from [https://www.prwatch.org/news/2013/07/12181/after-zimmerman-let%E2%80%99s-end-stand-your-ground this legislation]
*The Florida bill that became the ALEC model was signed on April 26, 2005 by '''Gov. Jeb Bush''', with the '''NRA'''’s lobbyist, '''Marion Hammer''', standing alongside.[10]
*'''NRA''' President '''[https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Wayne_LaPierre Wayne LaPierre]''' said NRA lobbyist and former president '''Hammer''' "conceived" of the Florida bill and lobbied it into law.<ref>Manuel Roig-Franzia, [http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/05/01/nra_plans_to_push_expanded_gun_law_beyond_florida/ NRA plans to push expanded gun law beyond Florida: Measure urges fights, some say], ''Washington Post'' via ''The Boston Globe'', May 1, 2005</ref> She ridiculed opponents of the bill, calling them hysterical, and helped the bill’s co-sponsors, '''Florida state Sen. Durell Peaden''' (R-Crestview) and '''Rep. Dennis Baxley''' (R-Ocala), get it passed.
*'''NRA''' President '''Wayne LaPierre''' said NRA lobbyist and former president '''Hammer''' “conceived” of the Florida bill and lobbied it into law.[11] She ridiculed opponents of the bill, calling them hysterical, and helped the bill’s co-sponsors, '''Florida state Sen. Durell Peaden''' (R-Crestview) and '''Rep. Dennis Baxley''' (R-Ocala), get it passed.
*In 2005, '''Peaden''' was an '''ALEC''' leader, serving on the Executive Committee of the "[https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Health_and_Human_Services_Task_Force Health and Human Services Task Force]."<ref>[https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Centers_for_Disease_Control_and_Prevention U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention], [http://www2a.cdc.gov/phlp/conferencecd2005/docs/bio_peaden.pdf Durell Peaden, Jr.], government biography, 2005</ref>
*In 2005, '''Peaden''' was an '''ALEC''' leader, serving on the Executive Committee of the “Health and Human Services Task Force.”[12]
*'''Baxley''', a former head of the '''[https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Christian_Coalition Christian Coalition]''' in Florida, is also a member of '''ALEC'''. His legislative résumé includes sponsorship of bills creating license plates honoring the Confederacy and the '''Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'''<ref>Judd Legum, [http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/03/21/449667/opponents-of-floridas-2005-stand-your-ground-law-predicted-racially-motivated-killings/?mobile=nc Opponents Of Florida’s 2005 'Stand Your Ground' Law Predicted ‘Racially Motivated Killings’], ''ThinkProgress'', March 21, 2012</ref> Opponents of the "Castle Doctrine" bill predicted it would immunize racially motivated killers...
*'''Baxley''', a former head of the '''Christian Coalition''' in Florida, is also a member of '''ALEC'''. His legislative resume includes sponsorship of bills creating license plates honoring the Confederacy and the '''Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.''',[13] Opponents of the “Castle Doctrine” bill predicted it would immunize racially motivated killers. Baxley recently said the law should not protect''' Trayvon Martin'''’s shooter.
*The NRA has pushed [[Guns,_Prisons,_Crime,_and_Immigration|several other ALEC "model"]] bills to change state laws on firearms.
*As noted by ALECexposed.org, '''ALEC'''’s current crime task force, which continues to endorse the '''ALEC/NRA''' Castle Doctrine, includes '''Florida Rep. Ray Pilon'''.[14]
*CMD [https://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/05/11508/cmd-special-report-new-documents-confirm-koch-was-alec-crime-task-force-led-nra has documented] [https://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/05/11512/cmd-special-report-alecs-gun-agenda-flourished-koch-industries-board-other-koch-f ALEC's legacy of pushing extreme gun legislation], while the organization's corporate board has included Koch Industries. ALEC has said that the Stand Your Ground legislation is no longer one of its model bills but it has done nothing to get the Florida law it previously endorse and pushed for years repealed.
*The '''NRA''' has pushed several other '''ALEC''' “model” bills to change state laws on firearms:
*Brendan Fischer, [https://www.prwatch.org/news/2013/01/11937/nra-and-koch-backed-alec-have-fought-gun-buyback-programs-across-country ALEC Ratified the NRA-Conceived Law That May Protect Trayvon Martin's Killer], March 21, 2012.
[1] http://www.prwatch.org/files/NRA_2005.png; see also, http://bit.ly/PRW_Trayvon
*Brendan Ficher, [https://www.prwatch.org/news/2013/03/12029/machine-guns-vegas-strip-nevada-alecnra-bill-introduced-stop-cities-banning-machi Machine Guns on the Vegas Strip? In Nevada, ALEC/NRA Bill Introduced to Stop Cities from Banning Machine Guns], March 22, 2013.
*CMD's [https://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/03/11366/alec-ratified-nra-conceived-law-may-protect-trayvon-martins-killer research] helped break the story of ALEC's role in pushing the Florida Stand Your Ground law as a national model.
Tick Tock on Florida's "Stand Your Ground" Gun Law that Was Backed by ALEC, the NRA, Wal-Mart and Others
(Edited excerpt based on a timeline prepared by Lisa Graves and Nick Surgey on 3-23-12, shortly after the Trayvon Martin shooting)
The Florida "Stand Your Ground" law became the template for "model" legislation endorsed and promoted nationally by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a non-profit entity funded by major corporations and interest groups including Koch Industries and the National Rifle Association (NRA). The bill expanded the long-standing right of self-defense by extending criminal and civil immunity to shooters who feel threatened by another, creating a statutory “right to stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly force. . .”
ALEC has recently an annual budget of approximately $7 million and claims that hundreds of its model bills become law each year. It hides its inner workings, including the fact that its model bills often are drafted and always are pre-approved by corporations and lobbyists. ALEC calls itself the nation’s largest group of state legislators, but 98% of its funding comes from corporations and sources other than dues from elected officials, as the Center for Media and Democracy has determined as part of its ALECexposed.org project.
In August 2005, in Grapevine, Tex., NRA lobbyist Marion Hammer asked legislators and lobbyists at a closed-door meeting of ALEC’s "Criminal Justice Task Force" to adopt the Florida "Castle Doctrine" bill as an ALEC model bill. The NRA said her pitch "was well received," and the bill was approved "unanimously."[1][2]
At that time, ALEC’s public-private Criminal Justice Task Force was co-chaired by Wal-Mart[3] -- the nation’s largest seller of guns and ammunition.[4] ALEC’s staffer for the task force was Chris Oswald a former “State Liaison” for the NRA.
Corporate representatives and state legislators on ALEC Task Forces have equal votes on proposed model legislation,[5] so the Florida law was ratified by Wal-Mart and its 2005 public sector co-chair, Texas Rep. Ray Allen, along with other state legislators and corporate lobbyists. It was endorsed by a representative of the Koch-funded Heritage Foundation, according to minutes of the meeting prepared by ALEC.[4]
In September 2005, that bill was adopted by ALEC's National Board of Directors, which has a procedure to allow model bills to be approved if there is no objection. The public sector portion of the board was chaired by Georgia state Rep. Earl Ehrhart; the corporate board included Koch Industries, Altria (parent of Philip Morris), Coors, Bell South, and Verizon. (ALEC says its corporate board does not vote. Corporations and elected officials have an equal vote in the task forces, where model bills are adopted, however.)
At the next ALEC Criminal Justice Task Force meeting, in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, in 2006, the NRA’s representative to ALEC, Tara Mica, reported on the “continued success” in securing passage of ALEC’s “Castle Doctrine” bill in other states.[4]
In 2007, an ALEC "Legislative Report Card" boasted that the ALEC/NRA Castle Doctrine bill had been introduced or passed in numerous states.[6] ALEC also highlighted ALEC legislators who had introduced versions of the model bill, including Texas state Sen. Jeff Wentworth and Rep. Joe Driver.[6]
To date, more than two dozen states have adopted Castle Doctrine bills with ALEC/NRA DNA.[7]Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, an ALEC alum, signed into law an NRA-backed bill with some provisions similar to the ALEC bill in 2011. Similar bills are pending in other states.
NRA lobbyist, Marion Hammer, watches Jeb Bush sign Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law in 2005The Florida bill that became the ALEC model was signed on April 26, 2005 by Gov. Jeb Bush, with the NRA’s lobbyist, Marion Hammer, standing alongside.[8] Jury instructions were issued in the fall of 2005 that expressly include the "stand your ground" language from this legislation
NRA President Wayne LaPierre said NRA lobbyist and former president Hammer "conceived" of the Florida bill and lobbied it into law.[9] She ridiculed opponents of the bill, calling them hysterical, and helped the bill’s co-sponsors, Florida state Sen. Durell Peaden (R-Crestview) and Rep. Dennis Baxley (R-Ocala), get it passed.
Baxley, a former head of the Christian Coalition in Florida, is also a member of ALEC. His legislative résumé includes sponsorship of bills creating license plates honoring the Confederacy and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.[11] Opponents of the "Castle Doctrine" bill predicted it would immunize racially motivated killers...
CMD has documentedALEC's legacy of pushing extreme gun legislation, while the organization's corporate board has included Koch Industries. ALEC has said that the Stand Your Ground legislation is no longer one of its model bills but it has done nothing to get the Florida law it previously endorse and pushed for years repealed.
↑American Legislative Exchange Council, Criminal Justice Task Force, organizational task force description and co-chair listing showing Wal-Mart Stores as "Private Sector Chair," 2005
↑ 4.04.14.2American Legislative Exchange Council, Minutes, organizational minutes of 2006 Spring Task Force Summit Criminal Justice Task Force Meeting and 2005 Annual Meeting Criminal Justice Task Force Meeting, 2005 and 2006
↑American Legislative Exchange Council "ALEC 101" PR document, Telling the ALEC Story, as of 2011
↑ 6.06.1American Legislative Exchange Council, Legislative Scorecard, organizational document archived by the "WayBack Machine," archive.org, November 6, 2008
↑National Rifle Association - Institute for Legislative Action, Maps of State Legislation, organizational legislative page archived by the "WayBack Machine," archive.org, January 11, 2011
