Florida Stand Your Ground Lawyers 

Our Legal Assistance to Florida Gun Owners

Florida’s Stand Your Ground statute is complex and often misunderstood, and the stakes for misinterpretation are high. 

Our team of trained and licensed gun owners who are also skilled attorneys provides knowledgeable assistance for individuals facing legal issues involving defensive force:

• Analyzing whether your actions fall within the protections of Stand Your Ground and Florida’s self-defense statutes.
• Advising clients on lawful defensive options before, during, and after a confrontation.
• Representing clients charged with crimes arising from defensive use of force, including non-deadly and deadly force situations.
• Protecting your rights as a gun owner while navigating law enforcement, prosecutors, and the courts.

With decades of combined experience and a team that includes former prosecutors, The Firearm Firm offers the knowledge, strategy, and advocacy needed so that Floridians who act in lawful self-defense have the strongest possible protection under the law.

Florida’s Stand Your Ground Laws

Florida became the first state in the nation to enact a “Stand Your Ground” law in 2005, found in Florida Statute 776.013. This law removed the duty to attempt to safely retreat before defending yourself with non-deadly or deadly force, provided you are not engaged in unlawful activity and are in a place where you have a legal right to be.

In 2014, the legislature revised the statute to limit Stand Your Ground protections to residences, dwellings, and vehicles. At the same time, Florida’s broader self-defense laws under Florida Statute 776.012 were amended to allow non-deadly and deadly force without retreat anywhere in the state, as long as the defender is not engaged in criminal activity and is in a place they have a legal right to be.

The 2017 amendments further restricted Stand Your Ground to dwellings and residences, removing vehicles from the statute. However, when read alongside the self-defense statutes, the practical effect remained unchanged: Florida's individuals may stand their ground using non-deadly force anywhere, and deadly force when not engaged in criminal activity and in a lawful location.

Key Statutory Provisions

Use of Non-Deadly Force

• Statute: §776.012(1)
• A person may use or threaten non-deadly force when reasonably necessary to defend themselves or another against imminent unlawful force.
• There is no duty to retreat before acting.

Use of Deadly Force

• Statute: §776.012(2)
• Deadly force may be used when reasonably necessary to prevent imminent death, great bodily harm, or the commission of a forcible felony.
• No duty to retreat exists if the individual is not engaged in unlawful activity and is in a place where they have a right to be.

A Word of Caution

Even minor unlawful activity can invalidate your right to stand your ground. Examples include:

• Driving with an expired driver’s license while defending against a carjacking.
• Being in a closed or restricted area when defending yourself, such as walking in a neighborhood park in the middle of the night when posted signs indicate it is closed from dusk to dawn.

In such cases, the law may require that you attempt to safely retreat before using deadly force, even if the threat to your safety is immediate.

Phone (321) 425-8961 or reach us online to consult a Florida stand your ground attorney for legal help today.