We can’t let up now.
If you’ve been getting our emails for the last week, you know that a watered-down version of Stand-Your-Ground is working its way through the legislature.
Because of the avalanche of phone calls, emails and Facebook messages to your legislators demanding REAL pro-gun bills pass this year and with the legislature only about a month away from adjournment, leadership in the House is panicking.
In a desperate attempt to maintain friendships with Bloomberg’s anti-gun radicals in St Paul as well as the grassroots gun owners, they’ve trotted out a watered-down Stand-Your-Ground bill.
A REAL Stand-Your-Ground law would:
1. Remove the “duty to retreat” requirement in Minnesota code.
No longer would law-abiding citizens be forced to flee from a violent
attacker before using the force necessary to defend themselves or their
families.
2. Provide criminal prosecution immunity in the event of a self-defense
shooting.
This means that unless there is probable cause, a law abiding gun owner
would not be easily prosecuted by an anti-gun prosecutor looking to make a
name for themselves in a politically motivated trial.
3. Provide immunities against frivolous civil lawsuits as well.
This simply means that if a violent criminal attacks you as you walk out of a
grocery store some evening and you’re forced to use your firearm to defend
yourself, that criminal or their family will NOT be able to sue you for all
you’re worth in civil court.
Those are the three legs to the tripod that is historically Stand-Your-Ground law and this would be a great law for Minnesota!
But that’s NOT what has been introduced.
You see, this version of Stand-Your-Ground does NOT include civil immunity protections for gun owners who are forced to use a firearm in a self-defense shooting.
What this means for gun owners across Minnesota is that if you’re forced to defend yourself against a violent attack, the attacker or even family members of the attacker can sue you in civil court!
Gun owner’s flanks would be left WIDE OPEN to prosecutions under this version of Stand-Your-Ground law.
That’s why I’m asking you to sign your “FIX Stand-Your-Ground” petition right away!
As you’ll see, this petition calls on your legislator to FIX Stand-Your-Ground by putting civil immunity protections back in HF238.
Without the protections civil immunity provides, law abiding gun owners would be sitting ducks if they were ever forced to use a firearm in self defense.
We saw this very scenario play out in the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman case down in Florida several years ago.
After the jury had acquitted Zimmerman of all charges in the death of Trayvon Martin, Martin’s family was still out for blood and tried to sue Zimmerman in civil court and take him for all he was worth.
But Florida has Stand-Your-Ground law with civil protections built into state code and Zimmerman was protected from their lawsuit.
In the end, Martin’s family sued the Homeowner’s Association instead because they were the only entity that wasn’t covered by Stand-Your-Ground law.
So you can see why this is absolutely critical if we’re to see a REAL Stand-Your-Ground law enacted in Minnesota.
Fox News is reporting that Stand-Your-Ground could be coming up for debate on the House floor as early as next week so we’ve no time to waste!
So won’t you please take a moment to sign your “FIX Stand-Your-Ground” petition IMMEDIATELY?
And if you can, please agree to your most generous contribution of $500, $250 or $100 right away.
If that’s too much, please agree to at least $50 or $25.
Every dollar will help us push forward for a clean Stand-Your-Ground bill in Minnesota.
For Freedom,
Benjamin Dorr
Political Director
Minnesota Gun Rights
P.S. A watered-down Stand-Your-Ground bill is moving in Minnesota and we need your help to fix it.
HF238 has NO civil immunity protections for law abiding gun owners who are forced to use a firearm in self-defense.
What this means for gun owners across Minnesota is that if you’re forced to defend yourself against a violent attack, the attacker or even family members of the attacker can sue you in civil court!
So please sign your petition calling on the legislature to FIX Stand-Your-Ground IMMEDIATELY!
When you’re done, please agree to your most generous contribution of $500, $250 or $100 right away.
