A bill progressing through the Arizona legislature aims to grant ranchers the authority to use lethal force in defense of their property against trespassers.
Sponsored by State Rep. Justin Heap (R), HB 2843 seeks to address the issue of illegal immigrants traversing private ranches after unlawfully entering the U.S., as reported by Axios.
According to the AZ Mirror, Heap’s legislation proposes an amendment to the state’s Castle Doctrine, expanding the scope of justifiable lethal force beyond instances of unlawful entry into one’s dwelling. Under this bill, ranchers and other landowners would be legally protected if they employ deadly force against individuals found to be unlawfully on their property.
Heap clarified the intent behind the amendment, stating, “Language like ‘and’ ‘or’ ‘either’…that one word can completely change the meaning of how this law is then applied. If a farmer owns 10,000 acres of farmland, his home may be a half a mile away from where he is, and if he sees someone on his land, can he approach them and (remove) them from his property? This is an amendment to fix that.”
State Rep. Alex Kolodin (R) voiced support for Heap’s bill, asserting, “This is a great Second Amendment bill, that is also protecting the rights of the accused to make sure we are taking ambiguity out of our law.”
HB 2843 advanced through committee with a party-line vote and subsequently secured passage in the Arizona House on Feb. 22 by a 31-28 margin.
