(WSIL) -- A Missouri bill that some officials have criticized saying it makes it difficult to prosecute murder cases, has failed to pass out of committee.
The bill failed to move forward out of the Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety Committee.Ìý
SB 666 ( ) - Modifies provisions on self-defense - has failed to pass out of the Senate-Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety committee
� GovWatch (@GovWatchLLC)
Ìýwould change provisions on self-defense, prohibiting prosecutors from filing charges against people who reasonably believed they were acting in self-defense.Ìý
In order to file those charges, police would have to find probable cause that shooters or other assailants acted unlawfully before arresting them.Ìý
The bill says, "This act provides that there shall be a presumption of reasonableness that the defendant believed such force was necessary to defend him or herself or a third person."
Some defendants would also be granted certain immunities, "This act provides that the defendant can raise a claim of self-defense during a pre-trial hearing in either a criminal or civil case which shall shift the burden on the party seeking to overcome the immunity by proof of clear and convincing evidence."
