FORT WORTH -- As area gun owners browsed handguns, rifles and ammunition Saturday, some were touting "stand-your-ground" laws and urging more states to adopt similar provisions, even as a national debate continues over whether to repeal them after the February shooting death of a Florida teenager by a neighborhood watch coordinator.
The Florida case, along with others in Texas and elsewhere, has focused on whether stand-your-ground laws should be scaled back or eliminated.But at a Fort Worth gun show Saturday, the focus was quite different."It's sad that we have to worry about it, but that's the world we live in," said Jane Snapp, a longtime recruiter for the National Rifle Association. "I used to not even lock my door, but these days, I have every right to protect myself."Hundreds of gun aficionados, ranging from first-time buyers to veteran owners, are expected to attend Fort Worth's gun show this weekend at the Will Rogers Coliseum. The show features 120 dealers and 610 tables of guns, knives, holsters and more.Gun owners said protecting the Second Amendment from any intrusions is their top priority.Texas law has always allowed deadly force against intruders and thieves to protect lives and property, but in 2007 the state passed the "castle doctrine," which no longer included a duty to try to retreat.Since the law was enacted, justifiable killings have steadily increased, from 32 statewide in 2006 to 48 in 2010, a recent Houston Chronicle analysis found.No case has reached the same level of notoriety as that of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed teenager who was killed by neighborhood watch coordinator George Zimmerman in a gated community in Sanford, Fla.Zimmerman, who told police that Martin attacked him and that he feared for his life, was eventually arrested and was released on bail. But gun owners said that case should not cause Texas to take a second look at the castle doctrine."Why should I have to flee from someone trying to do me harm," said Colby Lindsey, whose family runs the gun show. "Why shouldn't I be able to stay and protect myself and my family?"R.W. Boyce of Poolville stopped by the NRA booth to sign up for the gun-rights organization. As a longtime country dweller, Boyce said, he has always owned guns to shoot varmints and small animals, but recent developments have caused him to buy a gun for protection."If they try to take my guns away," he said, "they can expect a fight."Brian Kendrick of Atlanta, Texas-based K.K. Sales said he does not understand why the state even needs a stand-your-ground law: "If someone is trying to hurt you, you protect yourself. That's common sense."Sarah Bahari, 817-390-7056Twitter: @sarahbfwHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
