sailingaway
03-21-2013, 04:25 PM
ANCHORAGE - In Juneau, the state House approved a bill expanding the right of individuals to use deadly force in self-defense.
Current law allows deadly force in self-defense at home, at work, where you're a guest or in cases where a family member needs protection.
The bill expands that authority to “any other place where the person has a right to be.”
Democrats unsuccessfully tried to exempt second-degree robbery as an offense allowing use of deadly force.
Rep. Les Gara, D-Anchorage, said, “We're trying to craft out just one small area of the law where nobody was in any great physical danger, no weapon was used. Do we really want to be a state where you get to shoot that person?"
Countered Rep. Lance Pruitt, R-Anchorage, "So we're asking for that individual in a time of being scared, nervous, etc., to think, 'Hmmm, does it fit the statute here, does it fall into second degree?'"
Rep. Beth Kerttula, D-Juneau, pursued the issue: "So the problem is, you know you're safe. You know others are safe. And it's that step too far with robbery in the second degree, when there is no deadly weapon, there's not a grave threat of substantial injury."
Pruitt said it’s not just a matter of weapons. "If you're looking at a very large individual, they may not need a gun. They can still put some sort of harm on you that you don't know in that instance whether or not they're going to use, physically, their hands, their feet, whatever it may be, to cause harm to you."
The House passed the bill 33 to 5. It still must go to the Senate
http://www.ktva.com/home/top-stories/House-Votes-Expand-Right-to-Use-Deadly-Force-199271391.html
Current law allows deadly force in self-defense at home, at work, where you're a guest or in cases where a family member needs protection.
The bill expands that authority to “any other place where the person has a right to be.”
Democrats unsuccessfully tried to exempt second-degree robbery as an offense allowing use of deadly force.
Rep. Les Gara, D-Anchorage, said, “We're trying to craft out just one small area of the law where nobody was in any great physical danger, no weapon was used. Do we really want to be a state where you get to shoot that person?"
Countered Rep. Lance Pruitt, R-Anchorage, "So we're asking for that individual in a time of being scared, nervous, etc., to think, 'Hmmm, does it fit the statute here, does it fall into second degree?'"
Rep. Beth Kerttula, D-Juneau, pursued the issue: "So the problem is, you know you're safe. You know others are safe. And it's that step too far with robbery in the second degree, when there is no deadly weapon, there's not a grave threat of substantial injury."
Pruitt said it’s not just a matter of weapons. "If you're looking at a very large individual, they may not need a gun. They can still put some sort of harm on you that you don't know in that instance whether or not they're going to use, physically, their hands, their feet, whatever it may be, to cause harm to you."
The House passed the bill 33 to 5. It still must go to the Senate
http://www.ktva.com/home/top-stories/House-Votes-Expand-Right-to-Use-Deadly-Force-199271391.html