A small dose of reality may be administered to Totalitarian Pennsylvania.

NBC 10: Bill Would Allow Killing In Self-Defense

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- State lawmakers are considering a bill that would permit people to stand their ground - and even use deadly force - to defend themselves when threatened or endangered.

Current law states that when people are attacked or threatened in public, their responsibility is to retreat.

But retreating "could get you shot or stabbed in the back," said state Rep. Steven Cappelli, R-Lycoming.

Cappelli has sponsored a bill that would allow people who are licensed to carry concealed guns to use those weapons if they are threatened with death, serious bodily injury, kidnapping or rape.

Since October, 10 states have passed similar bills, known by supporters as "stand-your-ground laws" and backed by the National Rifle Association.
Florida was the first, and Michigan was the most recent.

Opponents of the bill call it a "shoot now, ask questions later" law.

Zach Ragbourn, a spokesman for the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, said the proposal could enable murderers to claim self-defense and get lighter sentences.

But Cappelli said his bill wouldn't provide criminals with a defense because only people with concealed weapons permits - who have gone through criminal background checks - would be allowed to shoot in self-defense.

Pennsylvania already allows people to use deadly force against intruders in their homes.

"The idea is that your home is your last refuge," Perry County District Attorney Charles Chenot said. "Once you retreat to your home, you have no place else to go."

You can tell this bill is a good idea because leftist blockheads like Elmer Smith absolutely hate it...

Philadelphia Daily News: Elmer Smith 'Shoot first' law's coming: Why?

Cappelli's bill, modeled after a law that passed recently in Florida, would establish that law-abiding residents and visitors may legally presume the threat of bodily harm or death from anyone who breaks into a house or occupied vehicle. They may use defensive force, including deadly force, against the intruder.

The Florida law extends this right of self-defense outside the home or occupied car. It provides that a person has "no duty to retreat" from any other place where a person "has a right to be."

It grants immunity from criminal prosecution or civil action unless a law-enforcement agency finds probable cause that the force used was unlawful.
If I were a betting man, I'd say Cappelli's version will pass easily.

Pennsylvania's Legislature, a wholly owned subsidiary of the NRA, has enacted just about the most lax gun regulations in America.

Elmer, old buddy, I'd call you delusional if you weren't a known left-fascist. If the NRA did have that much power in PA, you're hometown would not be about to rack up its 250th homicide of the year. You're all about government and elite power, Elmer. If the people have guns, they have some power too.

You can buy 100 guns a day and don't even have to report one missing - as you would if your car were stolen. If one or all of the hundreds of guns you own turn up in the hands of criminals, no problem.

So "stand-your-ground" or "shoot-first-and-ask- questions-later" laws do have a friend in Pennsylvania. But not in the district attorney's offices or police districts. D.A.s and cops don't welcome a return to the thrilling days of yesteryear when everybody was armed.

Yeah, Elmer. I'll bet some of your best friends are cops.

If the district attorney already has enough discretion to determine that George Newton was within his rights to pursue and shoot a carjacker, why does she need a new get-your-gun law on the books?

If the wild, wild West were such a cherished model, we'd still be wearing our holsters to church.