RAPID CITY, S.D. – Another bill to undergo the ‘smoke out’ process is HB 1212. The bill in the legislature would expand South Dakota’s Stand Your Ground Laws.
HB 1212 would re-write current stand your ground laws in an effort to modernize the language. Opponents of the legislation argue it would expand the circumstances under which a person can use force without the potential for due process.
According to Jett Jonelis, advocacy manager for the ACLU of South Dakota Jett Jonelis, the bill raises serious civil liberties concerns.
He said that clarifying language is a good goal but warned the bill could do more harm than good. He is calling for a stronger and more defined standard for when the use of force is deemed necessary, than what is being proposed in HB 1212.
The bill was previously killed by the Senate Judiciary Committee but was revived Thursday afternoon.
