Will ‘shoot first’ bill make headway this year?

A National Rifle Association-backed bill is likely to be heard in the House Public Safety Committee this week, possibly Thursday. Dubbed the “Stand Your Ground” bill, HF 498 would make it easier to kill someone in self-defense. The bill would replace existing statutes that justify the taking of life in cases where bodily harm or death is imminent; it would also create a broader set of circumstances for which “shooting first” is immune to criminal prosecution. Introduced by state Sen. Pat Pariseau, R-Farmington, and Rep. Tony Cornish, R-Good Thunder, and supported by a number of Republicans, the bill is opposed by members of law enforcement and isn’t likely to pass the DFL-controlled Legislature.

Part of the concern over the bill is that it diminishes the duty to retreat — that the first line of defense is not to kill, but to get out of harm’s way if it is safe to do so. Attorneys also fear that the bill could give criminals a  license to kill

“This expansion of the right to use deadly force would apply equally to criminals as to law-abiding citizens,” wrote Dakota County Attorney James C. Backstrom. “It would create viable self-defense claims in situations like bar fights. It could allow rival gangs to shoot at one another with impunity. With no duty to retreat, anyone could claim they were responding to a threat of serious harm and were therefore justified in killing a person.”