Too many people provoke others, then hide behind self-defense laws when things go south. I’ve seen peaceful people pushed past their limits and punished for reacting. That’s not justice, that’s a setup. If you start the fire, you don’t get to cry self-defense when it burns you.

Right now, people who intentionally provoke fights can still claim legal immunity, even when they clearly instigated the conflict. That loophole puts peaceful people at risk, punished just for defending themselves. It's time to fix it.

This petition calls for a change: If someone is proven to have willfully provoked another into a violent response, they should lose their protection under self-defense or Stand Your Ground laws. That’s not just fair—it’s necessary.

Let’s build a legal system that separates true self-defense from manipulation and cowardice. Real justice doesn’t protect the ones starting fights. Sign now, and stand up for the people who’ve been cornered, baited, and blamed.

Example: Just yesterday, my dog, a 2-year-old Schipperke, stubborn and loyal breed, was peacefully hanging out in my yard. She doesn't wear a collar, not because I’m careless, but because I've spent over $300 trying to find one that fits. Most are either too loose, too tight, or choke her due to her unique build.

Out of nowhere, my neighbor calls her off my property, and when I confront him about it, he denies it not once, but four times. Then, out of nowhere, he says, "Go get your dog and go home or I’m gonna shove your white ass in the trash can." And I’m standing in the street, on public ground, trying to de-escalate.

At that moment, I felt threatened. I didn’t lay a hand on him, but if I had, he could’ve claimed self-defense. Even though he provoked the entire situation. That’s exactly the kind of gap in the law this petition is addressing.

That’s provocation. That’s intimidation. And if I had responded physically in that moment, he could’ve claimed self-defense. That’s the kind of gap in the law this petition is addressing.

To make things worse, the cops were called out, and the only “solution” I was given was to cut up a towel and make a "noose" (cops word) out of it to keep my dog restrained, even though she was lured off my property by someone else. So either way, I was screwed: get threatened and do nothing, or defend myself and be the one in cuffs.