Missouri Senate gives first round approval for use of deadly force
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Missouri Senate gives first round approval for use of deadly force

Date: February 28, 2007
By: Amy Becker
State Capitol Bureau

Intro: The senate gave first round approval to a bill modifying the use of force.

Amy Becker takes us to the Missouri senate floor where there was an empassioned debate over the issue.

Emotions ran high when the bill's sponsor Republican Senator Jack Goodman came under harsh questioning from Democratic Saint Louis Senator Joan Bray.

Bray says she questions if this problem occurs as much as Goodman thinks and whether it is as important as any other issue the senate deals with.

RunTime:
Actuality:  DEAD.WAV
Run Time: 01:50
Description: 

Bray- This just feels to me like because the facts aren't there, the statistics aren't there, the cases aren't there that this is a really big problem and people are clamouring to attack the intruders or kill the introducers or whatever, baseball bats, skillets, whatever and what we're fostering and I'm just going to keep repeating myself, we're fostering is this angry hostile world that has every body dealing with violence.  The use of deadly force is how you deal with violence.  I just don't think the facts bear out what you're trying to do.

Goodman-  Well I guess if we were to address that problem how many innocent occupants-

Bray- How many innocent occupants what're the statistics of all these innocent occupants?

Goodman- How many will be enough?  What is it that has to happen with frequency before we can address the problem.  It's undeniable.

Bray- If that's the measure, we have hundreds of thousands of people without health insurance. So- How many does it take?  How many does it take of children going hungry every day to do something about it?  There's soem huge problems, I don't see this as one of those things that rises to the level that we have to change our  laws that are adequate now to take care of these circumstances.

Goodman- It may not be a huge problem in the number of people who come in with the problem but if you're that one person and it destroys youre life because a burgler came into your house and you defended yourself, it's a huge problem to that Missourian.

 



OutCue: SOC
Goodman's bill was approved on a voice vote shortly after the debate with Senator Bray. The bill provides an absolute defense in criminal prosecution and civil liability for the person who kills or injures an intruder. The Senate voted for first round approval of the bill.  It only needs one more approval before it is sent to the House. Earlier this year the House passed a bill that would provide similar protections but only in civil cases not criminal.

Reporting from the State Capitol, I'm Amy Becker.