Stand Your Ground Bill Passes House by Wide Margin

February 23, 2021 T. Arthur Mason North Dakota
Rep. Ben Koppelman (R - District 16) urges passage of Stand Your Ground Law. House Bill 1498 passed by a wide margin of 77-16. (Photo via screenshot.)

I recently wrote about the impressive work of Rep. Ben Koppelman (R – District 16) in presenting his Stand Your Ground legislation (HB 1498) to the House Judiciary Committee. That effort resulted in a 10-1-3 Do Pass recommendation. It hit the House floor for debate this afternoon and passed by a wide margin of 77-16.

If Stand Your Ground passes the Senate and is signed into law by Governor Doug Burgum, it would do the following:

  1. Remove the requirement to request someone to desist from committing a crime prior to using force (not deadly force) to stop them. Examples of crimes in these instances would be criminal trespass and burglary.
  2. Remove the duty to retreat when a person is “not engaged in an unlawful activity” and is in “any place the individual otherwise is legally allowed to be.”
  3. Extend the “Castle Doctrine” to include motor vehicles. (Note: The law currently restricts it to “dwelling, place of work, or an occupied motor home or travel trailer”.)
  4. Would add “loss of income” to the awards a defendant would receive in a civil case where immunity applies.
  5. Adds a protection from prosecution for those who would brandish a dangerous weapon on “property owned or leased by the individual.”

During floor debate, there was some concern from Rep. Pat Heinert (R – District 32) — who also happens to be the former Burleigh County Sheriff — about the brandishing part of the bill. But the vast majority of his colleagues didn’t seem to have any angst over it. Nor should they have.

If HB 1498 becomes law, North Dakota would be the 37th state to have Stand Your Ground on the books. This is important legislation. It’s vital that you contact your state senator and ask them to support it when it hits the Senate. The fight there is likely to be much more difficult than it was in the House.

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Sources:

  1. Koppelman’s Stand Your Ground Bill Prevails in Committee – The Minuteman Blog
  2. North Dakota Bill Versions: HB 1498 (nd.gov)
  3. North Dakota Legislative Branch Video (nd.gov)
  4. Find My Legislator Lookup: Legislative Assembly: State of North Dakota
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About T. Arthur Mason 883 Articles
T. Arthur Mason is a native North Dakotan who has spent nearly all of his life in the Peace Garden State. As the third of four children in Western North Dakota, Mason grew to appreciate family and the outdoors. Some of his fondest memories are annual deer hunts with family and friends. In his early teenage years, faith became a central part of T. Arthur Mason's life. He and the majority of his family attend church together on a weekly basis and find this a fulfilling aspect of their lives. Through the influence of his father, T. Arthur Mason became intrigued with politics. As a boy, he attended political events with his father and enjoyed the friendships that resulted as a byproduct of those political associations. As Mason grew older, he became convinced that the quote often attributed to Thomas Jefferson was true, "That government is best which governs least." Today, T. Arthur Mason enjoys time with his wife and children, an occasional hunt, and an increasingly active life on the political scene. This blog is the fulfillment of a dream to design a web site in the realm of politics and to advocate for the principles of Liberty and constitutionally limited government. On behalf of all those that contribute to The Minuteman, we hope you enjoy your time on the site and will share the message with others.

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