Castle Doctrine up for a vote in New Hampshire

The third edition of More Guns, Less Crime on pages 330-332 provides the first empirical research on the impact of the Castle Doctrine/Stand your ground type laws, and it finds that NH Gov. Lynch's concerns about public safety are not well founded. From the Concord Monitor in New Hampshire.

. . . . "Criminals should not have a greater right to life than us," said Rep. Jenn Coffey, an Andover Republican and women's self-defense advocate, flanked by about 50 people gathered in the Legislative Office Building in support of the bill. The state's senators are set to take up the override vote when their session opens at 1 p.m.

Senate Bill 88, which passed both houses by veto-proof margins, allows citizens to use deadly force in self-defense wherever they "have a right to be" without attempting to retreat from the situation, a provision that currently applies only to situations occurring in the victim's home or surrounding area. The bill also includes provisions related to the experience of Ward Bird, who was imprisoned for waving a gun at a woman on his property. Lynch has said he would sign those provisions into law separately, but Republican legislators say they want the entire bill to become law.

Yesterday's Republican press conference follows a public relations push by Lynch in recent weeks to see his veto of SB 88 stand. Backed by the top law enforcement officials in the state, the Democratic governor has visited local communities to argue that the bill will lead to more gang violence and avoidable homicides.

Lynch released a statement yesterday ahead of today's vote.

"This debate should not be about political wins or losses inside the State House. It is about public safety," Lynch said. "And it should not be about a political ideology.

"The only ideology of law enforcement is keeping us safe, and law enforcement from across the state and at all levels oppose this bill, because they say it will make our communities more dangerous." . . .