The uproar surrounding 17-year old Trayvon Martin’s death not only ignited racial tensions across America, but also shed light on the increasingly lax gun control laws well-funded interest groups are pushing through at the state level.

George Zimmerman, who fatally shot Martin Feb. 26 in Sanford, Florida, claims his actions were justified under Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law, a new form of gun law pushed by the National Rifle Association that allows people to use deadly force instead of retreating if they fear their life is threatened.

States should repeal “Stand Your Ground” laws and the NRA’s increasing political clout at all levels of government must be checked. These new rulings effectively put the law in the hands of the shooter, creating a gray area that complicates the justice system and toughens the prosecution in homicide cases.

In effect, “Stand Your Ground” laws can lead to a sort of vigilantism. The laws provide criminals a defense for their crimes, lead the trigger-happy to misinterpret clues that could result in the use of deadly force and put racial and ethnic minorities at a greater risk to negative stereotypes, according to a 2007 report by the National District Attorneys Association.

In Florida and the 32 other states that have similar laws, “Stand Your Ground” is intended to define the limits of self-defense, but has actually led to deaths that lie in an ambiguous space between self-defense and homicide. Determining what really happened in such cases is difficult because the shooter claiming self-defense is often the only witness — as it is in the Martin case.

The language of these laws makes it easier for defendants to plead self-defense in murder trials. It is no coincidence that since the “Stand Your Ground” law was passed in 2005, Florida has seen the number of self-defense claims triple, from only 12 in 2005 to 36 in 2010, with all but one of those killed unarmed.

The NRA — which was named as the most powerful interest group by lawmakers and congressional staffers in a Fortune magazine survey — spent about $20 million to influence the vote in the 2010 elections. It payed for about 40,000 radio and TV ads in key federal and state races as well as 20 million pieces of mail sent to gun supporters, enough to fill four tractor trailers, according to the Daily Caller.

The NRA also flexes its political muscle to pass laws at the federal and state levels. For example, there’s a reason why the ban on assault weapons ended in 2004 — the NRA opposed it.

In the case of “Stand Your Ground” laws, 32 states took the bait. In Florida, the NRA “wrote the bill,” according to Media Matters for America.

When paired with other negligent gun laws allowing almost anyone to own and carry a firearm, “Stand Your Ground” laws can be deadly. George Zimmerman had an arrest record and a history of violence, yet he was able to strap on a loaded, hidden gun every time he left his house.

Although liberals will not allow a “Stand Your Ground” law to pass in Maryland, the NRA has caused a “political impasse and standstill” on gun issues, preventing any further sensible restrictions on guns, Maryland State Senator Jamie Raskin said.

Gun advocates have gone too far. They have sacrificed public safety at the altar of gun rights. Upholding the right to bear arms does not mean everyone should have a gun and be able to carry it wherever they please. The Second Amendment and common sense can coexist — gun control is reasonable, not unconstitutional.

Trayvon Martin was not all that different from a lot of kids our age. Perhaps the best way to honor his memory is for our generation to stand its ground against senseless gun laws.