Your Right to Self-Defense will be Voted on in the House!
Senate Bill 1145, the "Castle Doctrine" legislation sponsored by Senator Timothy Bee (D-30), passed the Senate by a unanimous vote of 28-0 with a critically important amendment. However, self-defense opponents in the House of Representatives attacked it relentlessly this week. Your activism stopped them in their tracks!
SB 1145 with the NRA-backed amendment has the following two components:
- Justifies the use of force if you presume you are in danger of serious bodily harm or death within your home and/or occupied vehicle
- Returns the burden of proof in self-defense cases to the state
This will allow law-abiding citizens who are forced to actually use their firearms for self-defense will not be wrongfully convicted or financially devastated by costs associated with their legal defense.
Arizona is one of only two states in the country that places the burden of proof in self-defense cases on the individual citizen (Ohio is the other). In effect, citizens who are forced by an attacker to act in self-defense are presumed guilty until they prove their innocence in court by a preponderance of the evidence. This is contrary to the basic foundation of the American justice system -- a person is innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Self-defense opponents proposed amendments on the House floor attempting to strip this essential provision out of the bill. Their misguided efforts were defeated after a long contentious floor debate.
NRA members answered the call to action and all Arizonans will benefit!
NRA-backed SB 1145 now heads to the full House for a floor vote. Please contact your two representatives and ask them to support your right to self-defense.
If you need help identifying your two State Representatives please visit, tinyurl.com/bmfwn. Members of the Arizona House of Representatives can be reached at (602) 926-4221.
Please visit http://www.nraila.org/ to learn more about
Castle Doctrine Legislation in other states.
To find further contact information,
please use NRA-ILA’s "Write Your Representative" feature.
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