ARK STAND YOUR GROUND BILL - Arkansas lawmakers have sent Gov. Asa Hutchinson legislation that loosens the state's restrictions on using lethal force in self defense. The House on Wednesday voted 72 to 23 for SB24 the so-called “Stand Your Ground” bill, which removes a person’s responsibility to retreat from a threat before using deadly force. Among those who spoke out against the bill was Representative from Fort Smith – Democrat Jay Richardson.
"This bill scares me," Richardson said. "I know you guys don't want to hear it this is a racial thing but it really is. And I'm telling you that because I've experienced it. Two years today I lost a nephew because of this. Please vote no."
"I know you guys don't want to hear it this is a racial thing but it really is. And I'm telling you that because I've experienced it," Rep. Jay Richardson, (D) Ft. Smith, Ark.
The Senate approved the measure last month. A similar bill stalled in the Legislature two years ago, but the measure this year moved more easily after groups like the Arkansas Prosecuting Attorney’s Association which originally opposed it became neutral to the latest version. Governor Asa Hutchinson has not said whether he supports the legislation.
