A Democrat lawmaker in California has withdrawn a controversial bill that would have placed a burden on homeowners to exhaust all avenues for escape before using lethal force to protect themselves and their homes.
Assemblyman Rick Chavez Zbur withdrew Bill 1333, sponsored by gun-control group Everytown for Gun Safety, on Wednesday, and blamed “misleading information” for his decision.
“We have worked closely with law partners and gun safety organizations to strive for the right balance of protecting victims from armed vigilantes in public spaces while simultaneously safeguarding the right to self-defense,” Zbur wrote in a statement.
“Unfortunately, misleading information has fueled fear and confusion about the bill.”
Zbur claimed his bill aimed simply to close a “dangerous loophole” that allows “armed aggressors to initiate confrontations in public, kill their victims, and then exploit self-defense laws to escape accountability.”
The assemblyman added that the bill would not alter castle doctrine, or the “stand your ground” common-law principle, which allows a person to use deadly force to protect their home and its inhabitants, without being obliged to retreat.
The bill was widely opposed by Republicans in the California legislature.
Assemblyman Tom Lackey, representing Southern California’s high desert communities, called the bill a “complete assault on self-defense.”
“Imagine this: A violent criminal breaks into your home, and you have to second-guess whether defending your family is ‘justifiable,’” Lackey wrote on social media.
“The misguided energy behind this proposal is beyond comprehension.”