Stand Your Ground Advocates Insist Expansion Won't Encourage Vigilante Justice

Supporters of a bill expanding Indiana’s Stand Your Ground law insist it won’t encourage vigilante justice.

The state’s Stand Your Ground law offers people immunity from criminal charges if they use reasonable force to defend themselves, their property, or another person. Proposed legislation would create that immunity in civil court, too. And Second Amendment attorney Guy Relford argues that’s all the bill does.

“The bill does not, in any way, change the actual self-defense statute that we have in Indiana,” Relford says.

But gun regulation advocate Cathy Weinmann with the group Moms Demand Action says current law already takes care of the issue, allowing judges to throw out frivolous civil lawsuits.

“I say the true and overriding intent is to discourage and derail legal actions against shooters claiming Stand Your Ground,” Weinmann says.

A Senate committee sent the bill to the floor with a 7-3 vote, along party lines.