PA House OKs Castle Doctrine –– The Pennsylvania House, this afternoon, passed a bill giving the state’s citizens the right not to retreat from assailants.
The 161-35 vote for HB 1926 follows a 45-4 vote made Oct. 14 in the state Senate. It now goes to Gov. Ed Rendell, an outspoken opponent of self-defense rights, for his signature.
While the margins in both house are enough to overturn a veto it appears Rendell, if he so chooses, may be able simply be able to sit on the bill until the session ends forcing the process to start from scratch in January.
The bill says that a person employing protective force may estimate the necessity thereof under the circumstances as he believes them to be when the force is used, without retreating, surrendering possession, doing any other act which he has no legal duty to do or abstaining from any lawful action.