In Wisconsin, as in other states, the passage of an expanded self-defense law was helped by the 2010 elections, which vaulted conservative Republicans into office.
The success of the campaign is reflected in the rapid spread of expanded self-defense laws as well as laws that legalize the carrying of concealed weapons.
Together, they are pressing the federal government to consider federal civil rights charges against Mr. Zimmerman, and they are waging a campaign to amend expanded self-defense statutes like the one in Florida, known as Stand Your Ground laws, that extend beyond the home the right to use force in a dangerous situation.
Indiana, Kansas, North Carolina and about two dozen other states passed measures this year allowing people to legally carry guns in churches, elementary schools and casinos, on college campuses and at other venues; made state records of concealed carry permits confidential; expanded self-defense statutes; or otherwise increased gun owners' rights.
Since 2005, more than 20 states have followed Florida's lead and enacted their own versions of expanded self-defense laws.
That means nearly half of the country lives under the legal authority of "stand your ground". Now, couple these expanded self-defense laws with the proliferation of concealed carry laws, which legalize the carrying of guns in public.
If the new measure is enacted, the state would again be at the forefront of expanding self-defense laws.
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The statute would significantly expand the self defense protections of the notorious "stand your ground" law that allows people to use deadly force to defend themselves without the traditional requirements of having to evade or retreat first from a dangerous situation.
No one had yet heard of a Florida teenager named Trayvon Martin when a group of Wisconsin Republicans got together last year to discuss expanding a self-defense bill before the State Legislature.
More than 30 US states have laws expanding the self-defense principle known as the "castle doctrine," a centuries-old premise to the effect that a person has the right to defend his home against attack.
