House panel rejects bill to expand right to shoot in self defense
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A House panel rejected the so-called Castle Doctrine bill Thursday. The measure failed on a tie vote in the House Public Safety and Civil Justice Committee.
State law already allows people to kill intruders in their homes. The defeated proposal would have authorized deadly force against intruders who enter a porch, garage or occupied car.
During his weekly radio show Friday, Pawlenty said he supports the doctrine.
"Seems to me if you're in your own home and somebody intrudes and invades, and they're presenting a threat to you or your family, you should not have to retreat or flee from your own home. You should be able to engage in self defense under those circumstances," said Pawlenty.
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"This is not the old West."
The bill's sponsor, Rep. Tony Cornish, R-Good Thunder, 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.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report)
