Republicans in Tennessee’s House and Senate passed legislation this week allowing the use of lethal force to protect property.
WKRN reported that the legislation passed with Republican votes amid Democrat opposition. The House bill was HB1802 and the Senate bill was SB1847.
WSMV noted that if Gov. Bill Lee (R) signs the legislation into law it means “property owners will be allowed to use deadly force to prevent someone from attempted or actual trespass, arson, damage to property, including damage to livestock, burglary, theft, robbery, or aggravated cruelty to animals.”
House sponsor, state Rep. Kip Capley (R), said, “Do we trust law-abiding citizens or do we side with the criminals that prey upon them? Because right now, under current law, if someone is breaking into your property, if they’re stealing from you, if they’re destroying what you’ve worked your entire life to build, you’re expected to wait. You’re expected to hesitate. You’re expected to second-guess and take a calculated look at defending what’s yours. HB 1802 simply says, ‘If someone is destroying your property, that you can use lethal force to protect it.’”
Legislation regarding use of force in protection of property passed in the Tennessee Senate on April 21 and in the Tennessee House on April 23.
It does contain the caveat that lethal force cannot be used if the perpetrator has his back to the property owner.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He holds a PhD in Military History with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. He enjoys reading Philosophy and novels by Jack Carr and Nelson DeMille. Follow him on X: @awrhawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at [email protected].
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