The Brief
- Minnesota House of Representatives lawmakers voted on a bill that would remove a person’s duty to retreat before they can defend themselves.
- House File 13 is being compared to “stand your ground” laws already in place in other states.
- Some are dubbing the bill as “shoot first” legislation because it would allow Minnesotans to shoot when they feel threatened.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) – Minnesota lawmakers in the House of Representatives voted on a bill that would have removed the duty to retreat from the state’s self-defense laws, but it failed on the House floor.
DFL lawmakers, who have spoken out against the bill, held a news conference with gun violence prevention advocates at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday. That news conference can be viewed above.
‘Shoot first’ or ‘No duty to retreat’ bill
Big picture view:
The bill would have eliminated the last provision of the self-defense law, and would allow a person to use reasonable force in self-defense “regardless of whether a reasonable possibility of retreat to avoid the danger exists.”…