January 23, 2006


A bill expanding the circumstances in which deadly force may be used in self-defense is in the Alabama Legislature's cross-hairs.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Albert Hall, D-Gurley, cleared a House committee last week and is now going to the full House.

"I haven't heard of anyone opposing it," Hall told The Huntsville Times.

One opponent is Arthur Hayhoe, executive director of the Florida Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. He told the Times the Alabama bill could cause trouble if passed: "I call it the 'right-to-commit-murder' bill."

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Modeled after Florida's "stand-your-ground" law, which was passed last year and signed into law by Gov. Jeb Bush, Hall's bill is being pushed in Alabama by the National Rifle Association, which wrote the Florida law.

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"It encourages irresponsible, aggressive and even illegal use of firearms," Hayhoe said.

Hall said he proposed the bill at the request of a constituent, not the NRA