Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Meet force with force' bill to give Floridians right to fight back without fear of prosecution By DAVID ROYSE THE ASSOCIATED PRESS TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said Tuesday he intends to sign a bill that would allow people who feel threatened on the street, in a bar, at a ball game — or just about anywhere — to “meet force with force” to defend themselves without fear of being prosecuted. The measure, the top priority of the National Rifle Association in Florida this year, passed the House 94-20 on Tuesday. It had already passed the Senate. The bill essentially extends and codifies a right Floridians already have in their home or car, saying that there’s no need to retreat before fighting back. People attacked in their homes generally don’t have to back off. But in public spaces, deadly force can only be used after trying to retreat. r—™ “I’m sorry people, but if I’m attacked I shouldn’t have a duty to retreat,” said the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala. “That’s a good way to get shot in the back.” Baxley said that if people have the clear right to defend themselves without having to worry about the legal consequences, criminals will think twice before attacking someone. “Some violent rape will not occur because somebody will feel empowered by this bill,” said Baxley. “Somebody’s child will not be abducted ... you’re going to prevent a murder.” Opponents said the idea will legalize shootouts in the streets. “This bill creates a wild, wild west out there,” said Rep. Eleanor Sobel, D-Hollywood. The measure makes it clear in state law what courts have generally ruled in Florida, that there’s no duty to retreat before fighting back if you’re in your home, workplace or car. But it also extends the right outside the home, saying that “a person who is not engaged in an unlawful activity and who is attacked in any other place where he or she has a right to be, has no duty to retreat.” The bill says that person has “the right to stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly force if he or she reasonably believes it is necessary to do so, to prevent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another.” The sponsor, Baxley, also led the failed legislative effort to keep Terri Schiavo alive by blocking the removal of her feeding tube — and decried a growing “culture of death.” “For a House that talks about the culture of life, it’s ironic that -1 we would be devaluing life in this bill,” said Rep. Dan Gelber, D Miami Beach. “You are telling people when they are in the midst of an emotional moment ... you can stand your ground until death happens.” Baxley and other supporters, however, said the measure brings Florida in line with the law of much of the land. He argued that it is really no different from what most other states allow in laws governing self-deferfse. Bush, who has championed tougher penalties for people convicted of using guns in crimes, said he believed the measure was a good idea. “I’m comfortable that the bill is a bill that relates to self defense,” Bush said. “It’s a good, commonsense, anti-crime issue.” I. ....—I JASPER JUINENJTHE ASSOCIATED PRESS Faithful wave flags bearing a picture of late Pope John Paul II as thousands of people line St. Peter’s Square on Tuesday. Vatican to use bells, smoke to announce pope’s successor By VICTOR L. SIMPSON THE ASSOCIATED PRESS VATICAN CITY — Responding to Pope John Paul II’s request, the Vatican will depart from centuries old tradition by ringing bells in addition to sending up white smoke to signal the election of his successor. Before he died Saturday at age 84, John Paul also made his wish known “to be buried in the ground” and not placed in an above-ground tomb, Archbishop Piero Marini said Tuesday. He will buried in the tomb left vacant after the remains of Pope John XXIII were exhumed from the cramped grotto under St. Peter’s Basilica in 2001 and moved to the main floor following his beatification. John Paul will be laid to rest with a white silk veil on his face, a rosary in his hands and his body clad in liturgical vestments and the pope, St. Peter. John Paul’s personal physician told La Repubblica newspaper that the Polish-born pope “passed away slowly, with pain and suffering which he endured with great human dignity.” “The Holy Father could not utter a single word before passing away,” said Dr. Renato Buzzonetti. “Just as happened in the last days he could not speak, he was forced to silence.” Marini brushed off rumors that Polish soil would be placed in the coffin, as many Poles had hoped. “Everybody has wishes. It is impossible to fulfill them all,” he said. One of John Paul’s wishes, Marini said, was for bells to ring in the announcement of a new pope to avoid confusion over the color' of the smoke coming from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel. Black smoke signals no decision has been made after a papal ballot, while white smoke means a pope has been elected. The smoke is from the burning of the secret paper ballots, and chemicals are added to heighten the color. “This time we plan to ring the bells to make the election of the pope clearer,” he said, recalling wrong calls in past elections. “This way even journalists will know,” an acknowledgment of the Vatican’s interest in using the media to get its message across to a worldwide audience. "Fight for your food rights on campus.” . JlJoin the Food Coatmittee: Stop By Grand Marketplace iri^e Russell House TODAY from 11am-2pm to find out morej “ -—- = : Food Committee Meeting Wednesday, April 6th 5:oopm in Gamecock Park Dining Room ** Refreshments will-be provided. Write for News. E-mail gamecockeditor @gwm. sc.edu The Law Offices of Edward W. Longshore II i ^ Meijssa J. Kimbrough i DUI / Underage Drinking / Open Container Drug & Traffic Offenses Appointments welcome! , 1720 Main Street Suite 106 765-2108*765-2796 I** r-'~' „ l» 04.07.05 I 1 ;3 j RUSSELL HOUSE PRT10 1 USC * COLUMBIA. 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