Today, April 27, in a ceremony at the state capitol, Governor Sonny Perdue signed Georgia’s “Castle Doctrine” (SB 396) into law.
Sponsored by Senator Greg Goggans, SB 396 was approved by the full House on a vote of 115-42 and passed the full Senate on a vote of 40-13.
Chris Cox, NRA’s chief lobbyist, stated, “On behalf of all NRA members and gun owners in Georgia, I want to thank Governor Perdue for signing this self-defense bill. When confronted by criminals, victims don’t have the luxury of time. They have to make a split-second decision on whether the best option is to retreat or to stand their ground and defend themselves or their loved ones. Now Georgians can defend themselves without fear of being prosecuted or sued by the criminal or criminal’s family.”
The “Castle Doctrine” bill removes the “duty to retreat” if an individual is attacked in his or her home, vehicle, place of business or any other place he or she has a legal right to be. This legislation also states that victims may use necessary force to defend themselves against the attacker.
Cox continued, “We thank Senator Goggans for sponsoring this bill and the legislators who supported it. As always, we also appreciate all the NRA members and lawful gun owners who contacted their representatives and urged them to support this vital self-defense measure. The Castle Doctrine bill is about putting the law back on the side of the victim, the way it’s supposed to be.”
