Indiana House passes bill allowing defense against unlawful police entry

Last May, the Indiana Supreme Court created a bit of a stir when it decided that Hoosiers no longer had the right to defend themselves from illegal entry by police into their homes, pulling out the fantastically absurd arguments that resisting unlawful entry is both “incompatible with [the] Fourth Amendment” and “unnecessarily escalates the level of violence”. (Never mind the fact that there wouldn’t be any violence to speak of if the cops didn’t barge into anyone’s home illegally to begin with, but that’s apparently beside the point.)

In the wake of the understandable firestorm the ruling created, state legislators are rallying around a bill to overturn it and reinstate the people’s right to protect their homes from all enemies both foreign and domestic:

Hoosiers could legally defend themselves against police officers who enter their home under a measure that the Indiana House approved on a 74-24 vote, moving it another step toward becoming law, on Thursday.

The measure would overturn last year’s Indiana Supreme Court decision. The court ruled that homeowners do not have the right to use force against law enforcement officials who they believe are illegally entering their homes.

[…]

The bill now returns to the Senate. That chamber could approve it in the form that passed the House, or the House and Senate could have a joint committee try to hash out the differences before sending it back to both chambers for final approval.

The article also contains a neat little poll where some poor delusional souls apparently misread the answers and voted in the wrong direction. Do rectify, if you feel so inclined.

(via The Agitator)

Tags: Indiana • Indiana Supreme Court • Indiana House of Representatives • Indiana General Assembly