Mar 14, 2008 1:58 pm US/Central
Panel Rejects Bill To Expand Self Defense Shooting
ST. PAUL (AP) ―
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The hearing room was packed with supporters of the bill, many wearing buttons saying "Self Defense is a Human Right." (File)
AP
A Minnesota House committee rejected a bill that would have expanded the right of people to use deadly force to defend themselves in their homes, businesses or cars if they feel they're in imminent danger.
The measure failed on a tie vote Thursday in the House Public Safety and Civil Justice Committee.
State law already allows people to kill an intruder in their home, but the "castle doctrine" bill by Rep. Tony Cornish, R-Good Thunder, would have authorized deadly force against intruders who enter a porch, garage or occupied car.
Cornish said it would help people know when they can and can't shoot in self defense, and that someone who takes a life without justification or reasonableness could still be prosecuted.
Under his proposal, a person on a street or in a bar would have no duty to retreat before using deadly force against someone they believed threatened them with "substantial" harm, compared with the standard of "great" bodily harm written into current law.
The hearing room was packed with supporters of the bill, many wearing buttons saying "Self Defense is a Human Right."
"When your home is invaded you are under attack," testified David Gross, a Faribault attorney and longtime gun-rights advocate. "In a moment of peril, shouldn't the law favor the defense?"
But the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association and the Minnesota County Attorneys Association opposed the bill.
"We don't want you to go eyeball to eyeball," said Doug Johnson, Washington County attorney and past president of the prosecutors' group. "This is not the old West."
Despite the tie vote, which counts as a defeat, Cornish said he was optimistic his proposal could be amended to another bill this year or be resurrected in coming years.
On his weekly radio show, Gov. Tim Pawlenty urged lawmakers to reconsider the bill before the session closes.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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