HR 7716 · 116th Congress · Crime and Law Enforcement
American Family and Private Property Defense Act
Bill Progress
✓
Introduced2
Committee3
House Vote4
Senate5
EnactedLatest: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.(2020-07-21)
Plain Language Summary
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American Family and Private Property Defense Act This bill establishes various defenses a defendant charged with a crime of violence may assert and contains other related provisions. It shall be an affirmative defense if the defendant used force, including deadly force, against another person if the defendant reasonably believed such force was necessary to defend the defendant or a third party from what the defendant reasonably believed was the person's use (or imminent use) of unlawful force. (An affirmative defense allows a defendant to escape criminal liability, but the defendant has the burden to prove that the defendant is entitled to the defense.) A defendant who used deadly force may also assert this defense if the force was used against a person who unlawfully enters, attempts to unlawfully enter, or remains after unlawfully entering the private property lawfully occupied by a third party. If such a defendant was the initial aggressor, the defendant may still assert this affirmative defense in certain instances. A defendant has no duty to retreat from any location where the defendant has a right to be. The bill also establishes an affirmative defense for a defendant who use…
Summarized by Claude AI · Non-partisan · For informational purposes only
Cosponsors (4)
4 Republicans