Date: Sat, 11 Jan 1997 00:14:36 -0500 (EST)
From: Joe Sylvester <[j--lv--r] at [texoma.net]>
To: Multiple recipients of list <[n--b--n] at [mainstream.net]>
Subject: Citizens' Self-Defense Act of 1997 (Introduced in the House)
Some good news. A small ray of hope
(Of course all that's really needed is to respect the Constitution.
-------
---Citizens' Self-Defense Act of 1997 (Introduced in the House)
HR 27 IH
105th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 27
To protect the right to obtain firearms for security, and to use firearms in
defense of self, family, or home, and to provide for the enforcement of such
right.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 7, 1997
Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland (for himself, Mr. BARTON of Texas, Mr. SOLOMON, Mr.
COBLE, Mr. CALLAHAN, Mr. CUNNINGHAM, Mr. CALVERT, Mr. BARCIA, Mr. YOUNG of
Alaska, Mr. DOOLITTLE, Mr. STUMP, Mr. COLLINS, Mrs. CHENOWETH, Mr. COBURN,
Mr. CONDIT, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, and Mr. HOLDEN) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
------------------------------------------------------------------------
A BILL
To protect the right to obtain firearms for security, and to use firearms in
defense of self, family, or home, and to provide for the enforcement of such
right.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `Citizens' Self-Defense Act of 1997'.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) Police cannot protect, and are not legally liable for failing to
protect, individual citizens, as evidenced by the following:
(A) The courts have consistently ruled that the police do not have an
obligation to protect individuals, only the public in general. For example,
in Warren v. District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department, 444 A.2d 1
(D.C. App. 1981), the court stated: `[C]ourts have without exception
concluded that when a municipality or other governmental entity undertakes
to furnish police services, it assumes a duty only to the public at large
and not to individual members of the community.'.
(B) Former Florida Attorney General Jim Smith told Florida legislators that
police responded to only 200,000 of 700,000 calls for help to Dade County
authorities.
(C) The United States Department of Justice found that, in 1989, there were
168,881 crimes of violence for which police had not responded within 1 hour.
(D) Currently, there are about 150,000 police officers on duty at any one time.
(2) Citizens frequently must use firearms to defend themselves, as evidenced
by the following:
(A) Every year, more than 2,400,000 people in the United States use a gun to
defend themselves against criminals--or more than 6,500 people a day. This
means that, each year, firearms are used 60 times more often to protect the
lives of honest citizens than to take lives.
(B) Of the 2,400,000 self-defense cases, more than 192,000 are by women
defending themselves against sexual abuse.
(C) Of the 2,400,000 times citizens use their guns to defend themselves
every year, 92 percent merely brandish their gun or fire a warning shot to
scare off their attackers. Less than 8 percent of the time, does a citizen
kill or wound his or her attacker.
(3) Law-abiding citizens, seeking only to provide for their families'
defense, are routinely prosecuted for brandishing or using a firearm in
self- defense. For example:
(A) In 1986, Don Bennett of Oak Park, Illinois, was shot at by 2 men who had
just stolen $1,200 in cash and jewelry from his suburban Chicago service
station. The police arrested Bennett for violating Oak Park's handgun ban.
The police never caught the actual criminals.
(B) Ronald Biggs, a resident of Goldsboro, North Carolina, was arrested for
shooting an intruder in 1990. Four men broke into Biggs' residence one
night, ransacked the home and then assaulted him with a baseball bat. When
Biggs attempted to escape through the back door, the group chased him and
Biggs turned and shot one of the assailants in the stomach. Biggs was
arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon--a felony. His
assailants were charged with misdemeanors.
(C) Don Campbell of Port Huron, Michigan, was arrested, jailed, and
criminally charged after he shot a criminal assailant in 1991. The thief had
broken into Campbell's store and attacked him. The prosecutor plea-bargained
with the assailant and planned to use him to testify against Campbell for
felonious use of a firearm. Only after intense community pressure did the
prosecutor finally drop the charges.
(4) The courts have granted immunity from prosecution to police officers who
use firearms in the line of duty. Similarly, law-abiding citizens who use
firearms to protect themselves, their families, and their homes against
violent felons should not be subject to lawsuits by the violent felons who
sought to victimize them.
SEC. 3. RIGHT TO OBTAIN FIREARMS FOR SECURITY, AND TO USE FIREARMS IN
DEFENSE OF SELF, FAMILY, OR HOME; ENFORCEMENT.
(a) REAFFIRMATION OF RIGHT- A person not prohibited from receiving a firearm
by Public Law 90-351 shall have the right to obtain firearms for security,
and to use firearms--
(1) in defense of self or family against a reasonably perceived threat of
imminent and unlawful infliction of serious bodily injury.
(2) in defense of self or family in the course of the commission by another
person of a violent felony against the person or a member of the person's
family; and
(3) in defense of the person's home in the course of the commission of a
felony by another person.
(b) FIREARM DEFINED- As used in subsection (a), the term `firearm' means--
(1) a shotgun (as defined in section 921(a)(5) of title 18, United States Code);
(2) a rifle (as defined in section 921(a)(7) of title 18, United States
Code); or
(3) a handgun (as defined in section 10 of Public Law 99-408).
(c) ENFORCEMENT OF RIGHT-
(1) IN GENERAL- A person whose right under subsection (a) is violated in any
manner may bring an action in any United States district court against the
United States, any State, or any person for damages, injunctive relief, and
such other relief as the court deems appropriate.
(2) AUTHORITY TO AWARD A REASONABLE ATTORNEY'S FEE- In an action brought
under paragraph (1), the court, in its discretion, may allow the prevailing
plaintiff a reasonable attorney's fee as part of the costs.
(3) STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS- An action may not be brought under paragraph (1)
after the 5-year period that begins with the date the violation described in
paragraph (1) is discovered.
The Second Amendment is the RESET button
of the United States Constitution.
---Doug McKay" <[m c kay 003] at [maroon.tc.umn.edu]>
Joe Sylvester
Don't Tread On Me !