By now I trust you know that Wyoming Gun Owners will be pushing hard to advance Stand-Your-Ground law in the upcoming legislative session.
Stand-Your-Ground law is most commonly associated with the concept of removing the duty to retreat before defending yourself against violent predators.
But I wanted to make sure you understood another benefit that this bill would bring about here in Wyoming.
That is the idea of civil immunity.
You know the story, I’m sure. A gun owner gets attacked by a violent felon, shoots him and is not criminally liable, but then is sued for millions by the felon’s estate.
This has become commonplace in California, for example, where gangs use this tactic to raise money for their criminal activities.
It’s also becoming more common in nearby Denver.
So after surviving a dangerous attack at the hands of a violent criminal, you’re attacked again, this time in a court room where the thug is looking for easy money.
Even if you win in civil court, you lose.
After discovery motions, depositions, pre-trial prep, jury selection, the trial itself, appeals, and post-trial filings, you can easily spend $100,000 – $500,000 just to prove your innocence.
And that’s if you’re found ‘Not Guilty!’
Of course, many take a different approach and offer big bucks to the very criminal who attacked him -– in an attempt to ‘just to make it all go away.’
I don’t know about you, but I get downright angry thinking about having to pay a criminal who tried to attack me or my loved ones.
I’m sure you agree.
After all, it’s a small comfort to survive a violent encounter only to wind up destitute from impossibly high legal fees because you were drug into civil court.
That’s why we include civil liability immunity language with our Stand-Your-Ground legislation, to ensure that this can never happen to another Wyoming gun owner.
Specifically, it states that a person who was found ‘Not Guilty’ in criminal court — or who was never charged in the first place — is immune from civil charges!
No, it’s not a get out of jail free card as anti-gunners claim.
If you are found guilty of a charge in criminal court, you are likely to face charges in civil court, as well.
But if you are forced to defend yourself or your loved ones, and obey the law throughout this very explosive situation, you shouldn’t have to worry about being bankrupted by the thug who attacked you!
If you agree with me, please sign your petition in support of Stand-Your-Ground law right away!
Many gun owners that I speak with think that the civil immunity aspects of this are perhaps the most important concept of this entire bill.
But that won’t stop anti-gun legislators like Senator Hastert and Representative Connolly — not to mention moderates in the Republican caucus — from doing everything they can to defeat this bill.
That’s why your signed petition is so important!
It reminds your legislators that you are watching their actions, and that you expect them to support this legislation on your behalf.
Don’t forget, with this being an election year, your grassroots activism will be magnified, as legislators are always more paranoid during an election year.
That’s why we need to mobilize as many gun owners as we possibly can — to pour the pressure on the legislature to pass this bill in 2018!
So after signing your petition, please take a moment to forward this email to your friends and make sure that they sign their petition as well!
Gun owners in neighboring Colorado failed to remain active and mobilized and, as a result, lost a tremendous amount of Second Amendment freedom over the last couple of years.
Gov. Mead’s 2017 veto of our gun bill means that Wyoming is teetering on the edge, as well.
Are we going to sit back and let anti-gun legislators, in both parties, continue to chip away at Wyoming’s proud heritage of freedom and personal responsibility?
Or are we going to band together and fight to defend and expand our right to keep and bear arms?
If you agree, please make sure you sign your petition today.
Thank you, in advance, for standing with us!
David Ball
President
P.S. The 2018 legislative session is looming, and our fight for Stand-Your-Ground law is about to get white hot.
Don’t forget, one of the biggest benefits to passing this bill is the civil immunity language that it provides, stipulating that you can’t face civil charges if you were found not guilty of never charged in criminal court!
After all, it’s a small comfort to survive a lethal encounter only to be bankrupted in the years that follow from a spurious civil court challenge.