Saturday, May 20, 2006

personal protection: castle doctrine

A subcommittee of which I sit, passed H. 4301 commonly known as the "castle doctrine". It does 3 things:
1-It establishes the presumption that a criminal who forcibly intrudes into your home or occupied vehicle is there to cause harm, therefore you may use any manner of force, including deadly force, against that person.
2-It removes the "duty to retreat" if you are attacked in any place you have a right to be. You no longer have to turn your back on a criminal and try to run when attacked. Instead, you may stand your ground and fight back, meeting force with force.
3-It provides that persons using force authorized by law shall not be prosecuted nor sued.
In short, it gives rights back to law-abiding people and forces judges and prosecutors who are prone to coddling criminals to instead focus on protecting victims.