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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is, once again, proving that he’s out of touch with reality…and in a big way.

During yesterday’s Stand Your Ground Senate panel, the Tea Party favorite sat across from the mothers of Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis and argued that the Florida law that might allow Davis’ killer to go free is beneficial to African Americans.

Come again?

At the Tuesday Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing, Cruz claimed, “In Florida, the data show that African-American defendants have availed themselves of the Stand Your Ground law more frequently than Anglo defendants.” Indirectly citing a Daily Caller story that said black defendants were successful in 55 percent of fatal cases compared to 53 percent of whites, Cruz said this “isn’t about inflaming racial tensions though some might try to use it to do that.”

In his argument, Cruz described Stand Your Ground as protecting innocent victims from violent aggressors. But his argument was quickly contradicted when Sybrina Fulton and Lucia McBath testified about the deaths of their unarmed 17-year-old sons.

But that didn’t stop GOP members from piggybacking on Cruz’s statements.

GOP witness John Lott, president of the Crime Prevention Research Center, also argued Cruz’s point at length. “Poor blacks who live in high-crime urban areas are not only the most likely victims of crime, they are also the ones who benefit the most from Stand Your Ground laws,” he said according to prepared testimony. Later, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said he found Lott’s argument “compelling,” and that he did not see how the law “has a racial injustice about it.”

In reality, Cruz’s argument is deeply flawed. He only looked at the rate of successful Florida claims based on the shooter’s race, which is slightly higher for black shooters than white shooters. But, as Think Progress points out, that doesn’t mean that blacks are benefiting from the “kill at will” law.

A report from the Congressional Research Service on inter-racial shootings nationwide shows disparity at work. Without looking specifically at Stand Your Ground, CRS found a clear racial disparity in shootings that were ruled to be justified, as well as an increase in cases of justifiable white-on-black homicides after states began enacting the ALEC model legislation in 2005. According to the report, white-on-black shootings were considered justified far more often than black-on-white shootings.

There you have it. Looks like someone needs to do a little fact checking.

SOURCE: Think Progress | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty