Church ‘Stand Your Ground’ bill OK’d

House lawmakers on Tuesday approved legislation that would expand civil lawsuit immunity to Oklahoma churches when someone uses a gun or other deadly force in selfdefense.

State law— known as the “Stand Your Ground Law” — already shields businesses and property from lawsuits stemming from an accidental injury or death by someone who was acting in self-defense on that property. House Bill 2632 adds “place of worship” to the list.

“This is necessary to protect the place of worship from basically being sued out of existence,” said state Rep. Greg Babinec, R-Cushing. “It’s proactive, and I think it’s necessary based on what we’ve seen in the past.”

Democrats, however, criticized the bill by alleging that its wording would give the same immunity to the person responding to a threat. State Rep. Collin Walke called it an unintended consequence.

“If you vote for this bill, you are foreclosing any possibility of seeking justice in a court of law for the death of one of your loved ones,” said Walke, D-Oklahoma City. “If you love guns more than you love your family, vote for this bill.”

A change added to the bill on the House floor would allow churches to implement a policy banning guns from the premises. In the bill, a place of worship means any building, structure or office space owned, leased, rented or borrowed and used for worship services and religious activities. Babinec said that could include areas outside a church.

State Rep. David Perryman, D-Chickasha, said he

doesn’t want a vigilante protecting him inside his church.

“Many of us would like for you to put your sword away and don’t try to protect me in my house of worship,” he said, referencing the Bible verse that says a person who lives by the sword dies by the sword. “If they shoot someone, regardless of their negligence, this says an innocent person who is harmed, cannot bring an action against that vigilante.”

Babinec, the author of the bill that passed the House 62-31, disagreed with the Democrats’ analysis.

“If I’m in my church and something happens, and I discharge a weapon, and I haphazardly injure folks who have nothing to do with aggression, I promise you I will be adjudicated because that is the law,” he said. “The person with a weapon is responsible for that bullet from the barrel to the backstop. With great freedom and rights come responsibility.”