You hear a crash in your home, and it’s 3AM. Stumbling out of your bedroom with your firearm, you see a shadowed figure. He notices you, and spins around and lunges towards you. Unfortunately for him, you manage to squeeze off a round before he gasps in pain…
Three months later, the intruder sues you for injury claims … and wins.
How did this happen? Because Virginia doesn’t have what are termed as “castle laws” — meaning that if you are required to use deadly force in defending your home or family, the intruder cannot sue you for damages.
Roscoe Reynolds doesn’t like that. SB 876 would have fixed this problem, and Reynolds let it die in committee this morning. From RPV Chairman Pat Mullins:
“When I was told that Roscoe Reynolds let SB 876 die in his committee, I simply couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
The last thing a homeowner in Virginia needs to be worried about when they’re facing down an armed intruder is ‘Will he be able to sue me if I defend myself?’ This law would have given Virginians the security of knowing that the law was on their side – in both the criminal and civil arenas – if they were forced to defend themselves or their families using deadly force inside their own home.
Senator Reynolds let the bill die without saying a word in its defense – in fact, he questioned a number of witnesses as to whether or not anyone had ever filed such a suit before, implying that there’s no need to protect homeowners until someone is sued by a would-be home invasion robber.
Roscoe’s silence shows that he cares more about the rights of home invasion robbers than the safety and security of the Virginians he represents. The residents of the 20th District deserve far better from their state Senator.”
This just seems like such a basic, common sense law. What gives?
