A bill advancing in the Arizona legislature would expand the state’s Castle Doctrine to allow ranchers and landowners to use lethal force against trespassers on their property.
Currently, deadly force is only permitted to protect one’s home.
The proposed legislation aims to remove ambiguity and assert ranchers’ rights to remove or use force against anyone unlawfully on their large plots of land, which supporters argue is meant to deter illegal immigration through private ranches.
State Rep. Justin Heap said, “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,” he continued.
While the bill’s sponsor says it clarifies landowners’ rights to protect vast acreage, critics argue it could permit killing trespassers who pose no threat.
State Rep. Alex Kolodin added, “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.”
The bill passed its first committee vote along party lines and was later approved in a close House vote.
