CENTER CITY, MN — One man who defended his life against a neighbor’s deadly threat nearly lost a sizable portion of his life behind bars — all because Minnesota can’t get its Stand Your Ground act together.
The two men lived in neighboring properties, and when his assailant threatened his life just outside of his home in his car, he should have just run away, according to prosecutors.
As The Associated Press reports:
A man charged with killing his neighbor over a lake access dispute has been acquitted in Chisago County.
Forty-four-year-old Carl Anderson was facing the possibility of more than two decades in prison had he been found guilty of second-degree murder. Anderson was the one who called 911 after shooting 62-year-old Donn Johnson in February 2017. Anderson and Johnson lived on adjacent lakefront properties.
Prosecutors say Anderson should have driven away when Johnson confronted him while Anderson was in his idling pickup truck. Anderson twice told Johnson to stop when he threatened to kill him, then grabbed his pistol and shot him.
I’m going to give you a brief challenge, here. Google “Minnesota Stand Your Ground Law” when you get a second. What you’ll find is likely as astounding to you as it is to me.
You can read the full details of what happened during the incident here.
There’s a war being waged over the idea that people have a right to reasonable self-defense. People seem to believe that being able to stand your ground in your own home should be more than enough to appease those crazy gun nuts.
It’s not. We’re pretty into defending ourselves anywhere we go.
Until legislative action is taken, men like Anderson will continue to be in serious jeopardy for doing literally nothing wrong.
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