‘Stand Your Ground’ bill fails before Arkansas House panel
LITTLE ROCK (AP) — An Arkansas House panel on Tuesday rejected legislation that would have eased the state's restrictions on the use of deadly force in selfdefense.
The House Judiciary Committee rejected the proposal to remove the state's duty to retreat after hearing three hours of testimony. The Senate-backed bill failed on a voice vote, and the committee's chair quickly adjourned the meeting after the vote.
A similar measure failed before a Senate panel two years ago, but the bill this year moved more easily through the Legislature after groups that opposed it have said they're neutral to the latest version. Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson has not said whether he supports the legislation.
Tuesday's vote, however, doesn't mean the issue is dead for the session. Supporters could try again with the same bill before the House Judiciary Committee or file a new bill. They could also try and pull the bill from the committee directly to the House floor, a move that would require at least 67 votes in the 100member House. The bill's sponsors did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
At least 25 states have laws stating that there is no duty to retreat before using deadly force against an attacker, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The most recent state to enact such a measure was Ohio last month.
"The truth is, we're moving the needle slightly in Arkansas to allow someone to defend themselves if they find themselves in a dangerous situation and they have to use lethal force to survive," Republican Rep. Aaron Pilkington, the bill's House sponsor, told the panel.
But critics of the proposal said removing the state's duty to retreat would put more people at risk. Opponents have also noted the state's law already allows someone to use deadly force without retreating in certain circumstances.