Florida Senate - 2021                                    SB 1196
       
       
        
       By Senator Thurston
       
       
       
       
       
       33-01216-21                                           20211196__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the use or threatened use of deadly
    3         force; amending s. 776.012, F.S.; deleting provisions
    4         justifying a person’s use or threatened use of deadly
    5         force to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm
    6         to himself or herself or another or to prevent the
    7         imminent commission of a forcible felony; providing an
    8         effective date.
    9          
   10  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   11  
   12         Section 1. Section 776.012, Florida Statutes, is amended to
   13  read:
   14         776.012 Use or threatened use of force in defense of
   15  person.—
   16         (1) A person is justified in using or threatening to use
   17  force, except deadly force, against another when and to the
   18  extent that the person reasonably believes that such conduct is
   19  necessary to defend himself or herself or another against the
   20  other’s imminent use of unlawful force. A person who uses or
   21  threatens to use force in accordance with this subsection does
   22  not have a duty to retreat before using or threatening to use
   23  such force.
   24         (2) A person is justified in using or threatening to use
   25  deadly force if he or she reasonably believes that using or
   26  threatening to use such force is necessary to prevent imminent
   27  death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or
   28  to prevent the imminent commission of a forcible felony. A
   29  person who uses or threatens to use deadly force in accordance
   30  with this subsection does not have a duty to retreat and has the
   31  right to stand his or her ground if the person using or
   32  threatening to use the deadly force is not engaged in a criminal
   33  activity and is in a place where he or she has a right to be.
   34         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2021.