Citing law enforcement’s opposition to the bill, Governor Dayton vetoed the Minnesota Defense of Dwelling and Person Act of 2011 today.
I have been following this bill closely as it made its way through the Minnesota legislature as it would have substantially changed the advice I give to my clients who own and carry firearms. As I previously posted, the bill would have done away with the common law duty of reasonable retreat when self-defense is exacted outside of the home. With Governor Dayton’s veto, the law will remain as only authorizing the use of deadly force when necessary to resist a crime when there is an objective, good faith belief in the threat of great bodily harm or death, or to prevent the commission of a felony in your own home.
Coley Grostyan is a Minneapolis, MN criminal defense attorney who represents individuals accused of gun crimes in the Twin Cities and surrounding suburbs, and throughout the State of Minnesota.
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