With the fight over Stand-Your-Ground law about to heat up here in Wyoming, I wanted to take a moment to paint the broader picture of how popular this legislation is across the county.
Simply put: the vast majority of Americans already enjoy the protections that Stand-Your-Ground law affords, and Wyoming is lagging far behind.
As a reminder, Stand-Your-Ground law would simply remove your duty to retreat before you could defend yourself or loved ones from a violent criminal.
In addition, it would provide important criminal and civil protections to gun owners who are forced to defend themselves.
No more could a law abiding gun owner be prosecuted for not running away some arbitrary number of steps before defending his life.
And no more having to spend five years and hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to stave off a spurious civil suit, as Stand-Your-Ground law precludes you from being civilly sued if you’re not responsible criminally.
It doesn’t change the laws regarding what is a justifiable use of force, nor does it bring about a ‘shoot first ask questions later’ dynamic.
Nor would Stand-Your-Ground law ever be able to be used by a criminal to defend himself, as the law specifies that the person claiming a Stand-Your-Ground defense must legally be present when using force.
So a home invasion suspect –- in the midst of committing a felony -– can’t shoot you and claim self-defense.
Same for a rapist, robber, or any other criminal.
That’s why it’s law in dozens of states right now, as you can see from the map below!
I don’t know about you, but I think it’s absurd that the Wyoming legislature has refused to grant us the same protections that a super majority of the country enjoys.
If you agree, I hope you’ll sign our petition to the legislature, insisting that they pass this legislation in 2018!
With Stand-Your-Ground law on the move all over the county, now is our chance to get it done here in Wyoming!
Our sister organization, the Missouri Firearms Coalition, made Stand-Your-Ground law a reality in Missouri in 2016.
And earlier this year, another of our sister organizations, Iowa Gun Owners, rammed Stand-Your-Ground legislation into law in Iowa — concluding a six-year fight!
In Missouri, the Missouri Firearms Coalition had to fight with a hostile Democratic governor who vetoed the bill, before going on to pass their bill.
Our friends in Iowa had to work for years to expose anti-gun leaders in their State Senate -– hacking out 35 anti-gun incumbents in all –- to be able to pass their bill this year!
So why can’t this happen in Wyoming, with a legislature who professes to be pro-gun?
It can, but we need all hands on deck. It’s an election year, and while the legislature killed our two gun bills last year, the pressure will be much higher this year.
So please do your part and sign your petition in support of this crucial legislation right away!
In addition to becoming law in Iowa and Missouri recently, Stand-Your-Ground is on the move in states all over the country.
Minnesota, Idaho, Ohio, and Wisconsin are all working on this same legislative concept.
It’s time that gun owners in Wyoming come together and insist that the legislature pass this bill next session.
They already killed House File 136, something that they are going to have to answer for. In addition, a dangerous number of them voted against House File 137 — before Governor Mead vetoed it.
This upcoming session is their last chance to stand up for the Second Amendment before facing their voters.
But we need to get as many gun owners as possible involved in this fight, to make sure that the legislature feels the pressure loud and clear.
We need to pour on the pressure in Cheyenne using mail, email, and social media. Your donations will help us do that, so I hope you will be generous!
Please do what you can to help us prepare for this fight right away!
David Ball
President
P.S. With the fight for Stand-Your-Ground about to get underway here in Wyoming, I need your help.
Gun owners in Missouri passed this bill last year — overriding the Governor’s veto — thanks to overwhelming amounts of grassroots pressure!
In Iowa, just this year, gun owners passed this same bill after a six-year battle with anti-gun Democrats who controlled their State Senate.
And it will be grassroots pressure from gun owners in Wyoming who make this a reality here, as well!
Please make sure you’ve signed your petition in support of this bill right away!
