Friday, April 07, 2006



Idaho Self-defense rights bolstered in House vote: "The House voted 61-to-just-six on Tuesday in favor of a National Rifle Association-backed measure giving Idaho residents the right to defend their homes and businesses by whatever force is necessary, without fear of a lawsuit. The bill has already passed the Senate, and heads to Governor Dirk Kempthorne for his signature. The bill was modeled after a Florida law that makes residents immune from civil or criminal prosecution if they injure someone who breaks into their home. Senator Mel Richardson, the sponsor, has said the bill comes from the doctrine that "a man's home is his castle and he should be able to defend it." The NRA has been pushing this so-called "Castle" legislation in several states. According to the bill's text, "This in no way is intended to apply to if such force is used against law enforcement officers." That was added to win police agencies' support."


CO: No charges filed in shooting : "The Craig man who shot and killed an intruder at his home in Craig last week will not be charged with a crime, the district attorney announced Tuesday. Mario Cruz Vigil, 60, was shot March 26 at a house in the 800 block of Washington Street after police say he broke into the home, armed with a gun. The homeowner, Josh Jackson, 33, shot Vigil twice, once in the chest with a shotgun and once in the thigh with a .30-06-caliber rifle. An autopsy showed Vigil died from the thigh wound. District Attorney Bonnie Roe-sink said that after reviewing police reports, her office decided the incident was "a clear case of justifiable homicide." In a statement released Tuesday, Roesink said no charges would be filed in the case. "It's not only self-defense, it's under what we call the �make my day law,'" Roesink said, referring to the Colorado law that gives residents immunity if they kill intruders. Roesink said that in her 19 years at the District Attorney's Office, she has never dealt with a case that was such a clear example of self-defense. "This is a classic case of it," she said".

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