Texas lawmakers to revisit Castle Doctrine
The idea of a man’s home being his castle is certainly not new and thanks to Senator Wentworth and Representative Driver, Texans may soon treat it as such. A proposed bill, if passed, will give Texans protection from prosecution if they shoot an intruder while protecting their homes, cars and places of business. Current law, amended in 1973, requires Texans to retreat and flee.
“If someone breaks in, they’re there to do you harm,” said Garland Republican Rep. Joe Driver, author of a bill approved Tuesday by a House committee. “Your car and your place of business are just an extension of your castle. This would make it so you can use whatever force necessary to protect yourself.”
The bill, of course, has the usual critics.
“We already have excellent self-defense laws in Texas,” said Marsha McCartney, president of the North Texas Brady Campaign, which seeks to curb gun violence. “They act like they’re fixing some big problem, like people defending themselves are going to jail. And that’s just not the case.”
Susan Gaylord Buxton disagrees.
Susan Gaylord Buxton was 66 when a wanted criminal broke into the Arlington home she shared with her granddaughter in November 2005.
In the middle of the night, wearing nothing but a T-shirt and her underwear, Ms. Buxton grabbed her .38 caliber handgun and searched the house for the intruder. When he emerged from a closet and lunged at her, she shot him in the thigh.
But when the police got there, she told the House committee, they treated her like the criminal, reading her rights and confiscating her gun.
“All these years I have tried to be an example to my kids, to my grandkids, to do everything by the law,” Ms. Buxton said. “And then the law turned around and made me feel like a criminal.”
Florida led the way with “Stand Your Ground” laws passing legislation in 2005 and in fact, has pretty relaxed concealed carry laws. The crime statistics I find indicate that violent crime has been reduced.
I hope Texas legislators pass this bill. It is right that a person be protected from prosecution after defending life and property. It would also send a strong message to would be criminals and they may think twice about entering private property when the owner hasn’t the duty to run.
Darn tootin’, Miche! If somebody broke in here, they’d get a hair-fork to the temple or jugular, I’ll tell you what.
Of course people have the right to defend themselves. It’s crazy that there are laws to the contrary. I too hope they pass the law.
I’m not eager for violence, certainly, but if they bring it to me, I’m not going to lay down and take it, nor run and leave my children defenseless. I had no idea Texas had a law mandating folks flee like chicken-sh*ts. I hope you keep us posted.
I dont see anything fundamentally wrong with the changes to the law. At the same time, Texas is not Berkley and I think Texas juries have already shown themselves to be very pro self defense in whatever the circumstances.
Sounds like the Republicans are are grandstanding for votes. Maybe the Domocrats will respond with some “discrimination hearings”