Florida Gov. Jeb Bush may sign as early as today a law that will let Floridians “meet force with force,” erasing the “duty to retreat” when they fear for their lives outside of their homes, in their cars or businesses, or on the street, says the Washington Post. The mesure is nicknamed the “Castle Doctrine” by Florida lobbyist Marion Hammer, a former National Rifle Association president. The NRA plans to seek approval for the idea nationwide.
NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre said the group plans a “multi-state strategy” that he hopes can capitalize on a political climate dominated by conservative opponents of gun control at the state and national levels. “There’s a big tailwind we have, moving from state legislature to state legislature,” LaPierre said. “The South, the Midwest, everything they call ‘flyover land’ — if John Kerry held a shotgun in that state, we can pass this law in that state.” The new Florida law allows residents to use deadly force even if they could have fled and says that prosecutors must automatically presume that would-be victims feared for their lives if attacked.
Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content//article/2005/04/25/AR2005042501553.html