Stop Kill at Will legislation in Iowa!

Trayvon Martin, the Florida teenager who was killed while walking home in his hoodie, is dead because someone who felt threatened by him took his life. George Zimmerman, Trayvon's killer, still hasn't even been arrested for the shooting.

Why? Because Florida is a Kill at Will state! Astonishingly, Florida law broadens the definition of justifiable homicide by granting people the right to use deadly force if they feel threatened. This extreme expansion of the right to kill, despite being fought by law enforcement officials, has occurred in 24 states. Nearly half of the United States allow killing just because a person "feels" threatened.

Right now, the legislature in Iowa is considering following Florida's lead and becoming a Kill at Will state. If enough of their constituents speak out against Kill at Will, it can be stopped. Because of the negative attention the Trayvon Martin tragedy is bringing to these laws, elected officials and the media debating the legislation won't be able to ignore loud public pressure to keep Iowa from becoming a Kill at Will state.

These Kill at Will laws make all of us, including children, less safe. They are a special danger to young people of color like Trayvon Martin, who may fall under "suspicion" from armed vigilantes simply by being young, Black, and wearing a hoodie.

Please join me in protesting passage of any Kill at Will laws in the beautiful state of Iowa, where people are friendly and kind. Let's not allow ourselves to be ruled by hysteria.