The legislation states homicide is not justifiable when using ‘more force than was reasonably necessary.’
A California bill that would restrict the use of lethal force to defend people’s property from criminals could be heard by a legislative committee March 24.
Assembly Bill 1333, by Assemblyman Rick Chavez Zbur, a Democrat representing Santa Monica, would eliminate certain circumstances under which homicide is justifiable, including if the person was defending a residence or property or trying to prevent someone from committing a felony.
The legislation, introduced in February, also states homicide is not justifiable when “more force than was reasonably necessary” was used to defend against danger, according to the bill’s proposed text.
In addition, it restricts lethal action when a person is “outside of their residence and knew that using force likely to cause death or great bodily injury could have been avoided with complete safety by retreating,” among other restrictions.
LEXIT, a group representing the conservative Latino movement in the United States, said the bill “would eviscerate the ‘castle doctrine,’ meaning that you could no longer protect your property,” according to a video shared on March 1 on the social media group X by the group.
The castle doctrine, also called the “stand your ground” common law principle, states that a person is justified in the use of deadly force to protect his or her home and its inhabitants from intruders, without being obliged to retreat.
‘Protecting People From Vigilante Violence’
According to Zbur, the bill does not change the long-standing “castle doctrine,” which gives people extra self-defense protections in their home, and which exists in a different part of the Code—California Penal Code 198.5.
“AB 1333 was never intended to limit a crime victim’s right to defend themselves, their families, or their homes,” Zbur told The Epoch Times in an email on March 5.
Zbur said he already plans to amend the legislation to clear up any confusion that might have been raised about it.
“The [goal] of AB 1333 is to promote public safety by protecting people from vigilante violence in public places,” Zbur said. “We will be amending the bill to make this crystal clear.”
