Knimrod
02-21-2006, 11:48 PM
Bill allows use of force in cases of self-defense
February 21, 2006
Lansing State Journal
your home is your castle, can you use force - even deadly force - to protect it without getting sued or arrested?
The answer would be yes, under legislation to be discussed today at a hearing before a state Senate committee.
The bill has sparked debate: The head of the Michigan Sheriffs' Association says the concept raises questions about taking another person's life, and gun-control advocates contend it's too broad and could apply even to bar fights and playground squabbles.
Nearly identical bills introduced in the House and Senate provide legal immunity for the use of force in self-defense. The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing today.
"You should be able to use every defense possible," said Rep. Tim Moore, R-Farwell, a sponsor of a House bill.
Opponents argue the legislation will encourage people to take the law into their own hands and put innocent bystanders at risk.
"To even consider this bill is ridiculous," said Shikha Hamilton, president of the Michigan Million Mom March chapter of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, a gun-control advocacy group.
Terry Jungel, executive director of the Michigan Sheriffs' Association, said that while the legislation is a "wonderful idea in concept," it raises serious concerns about a person's right to take someone else's life. The association has not taken a position on the bills.
Rep. Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge, said people have the right to self-defense because of well-established precedent, but there always is the potential for courts to overturn it.
"There is no Michigan statute that guarantees that right," he said.
Jones pointed to a case when he was Eaton County sheriff and a man broke into a Dimondale couple's house and threatened the husband with a screwdriver.
"While he was fighting for his life, crashing into walls, his wife ran over with a jar of pennies and knocked the intruder out cold," Jones said. "A few months later, the guy sued."
Link to story (http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060221/NEWS04/602210327/1005/news)
February 21, 2006
Lansing State Journal
your home is your castle, can you use force - even deadly force - to protect it without getting sued or arrested?
The answer would be yes, under legislation to be discussed today at a hearing before a state Senate committee.
The bill has sparked debate: The head of the Michigan Sheriffs' Association says the concept raises questions about taking another person's life, and gun-control advocates contend it's too broad and could apply even to bar fights and playground squabbles.
Nearly identical bills introduced in the House and Senate provide legal immunity for the use of force in self-defense. The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing today.
"You should be able to use every defense possible," said Rep. Tim Moore, R-Farwell, a sponsor of a House bill.
Opponents argue the legislation will encourage people to take the law into their own hands and put innocent bystanders at risk.
"To even consider this bill is ridiculous," said Shikha Hamilton, president of the Michigan Million Mom March chapter of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, a gun-control advocacy group.
Terry Jungel, executive director of the Michigan Sheriffs' Association, said that while the legislation is a "wonderful idea in concept," it raises serious concerns about a person's right to take someone else's life. The association has not taken a position on the bills.
Rep. Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge, said people have the right to self-defense because of well-established precedent, but there always is the potential for courts to overturn it.
"There is no Michigan statute that guarantees that right," he said.
Jones pointed to a case when he was Eaton County sheriff and a man broke into a Dimondale couple's house and threatened the husband with a screwdriver.
"While he was fighting for his life, crashing into walls, his wife ran over with a jar of pennies and knocked the intruder out cold," Jones said. "A few months later, the guy sued."
Link to story (http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060221/NEWS04/602210327/1005/news)