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14 States Considering A 'Stand Your Ground' Bill
Kansas is one of 14 states considering a "stand your ground" bill, which would allow people to kill an intruder without fear of being arrested or sued.The House State and Federal Affairs Committee has a hearing on the bill --House Bill 2577 -- today. Supporters say the bill is a way to protect those who protect themselves. It would allow people to "meet force with force" not only in their homes, but in their cars and on the street. Opponents say the bill is not needed because the law already recognizes the right to self-defense. And they fear the bill could lead to more innocent people being shot. According to Kansas law, a person must "reasonably" believe his life or someone else's is in jeopardy before using deadly force. Even when there are no criminal charges, people who say they were defending themselves can be sued, supporters of the bill say. The "stand your ground" bill automatically assumes that people fear for their lives when someone breaks into their homes. It would shield people from prosecution and civil lawsuits when they kill or harm an aggressor. The bill applies not only to actions people take in their own homes, but anywhere they have a right to be, including cars, parks, parking lots or on the street. "This is not a gun bill. It's strictly to defend oneself," Rep. Richard Carlson, R-St. Marys, said. "Basically, over the last 50 or 60 years, most of our laws have addressed the criminal side of justice as opposed to the victim's side of justice," Carlson said. He predicted that the bill he is sponsoring would pass, even though Kansas is one of four states that has not passed a law allowing residents to carry concealed weapons. The Senate is scheduled to debate a concealed-carry bill today. Sen. Phil Journey, R-Haysville, said the stand-your-ground proposal just clarifies the existing law. He plans to give testimony in support of the bill, saying people have the right to defend themselves and their family. People should not have to try to escape when confronted by an intruder, he said. "You can turn and run down the hallway and you just make a great target," he said. The Wichita Police Department has not taken a stance on the bill. Ernestine Krehbiel, co-president of the League of Women Voters Wichita-Metro, said the law could lead to more people being shot who didn't pose any real threat. "It makes somebody with a gun be the prosecutor, judge and jury of somebody they think is attacking them or attacking their property," she said. "It endangers the very foundation of our Bill of Rights." Krehbiel said people sometimes get paranoid and may perceive a threat from someone who is not. "There's not this great, huge number of people who have somehow or another been put in jail for trying to defend themselves," she said. "This is a solution without a problem." Violent crime -- including murder, rape, robbery and assault -- has fallen about 7 percent nationwide in the past four years, according to FBI statistics. Posted by: Anonymoose 2006-02-11 |
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