The Florida House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed HB-89, a “warning shot” bill Thursday, allowing for a person to brandish a firearm or fire a warning shot when feeling threatened.
After two days of intense debate, the measure was approved 93-24, while the Senate tentatively approved a similar measure, according to the Bradenton Herald.
The bill was introduced by GOP state Rep. Neil Combee, in response to the notorious Marissa Alexander case. She received a 20-year sentence after being caught up in Florida’s 10-20-Life statute when she fired a warning shot to ward off her abusive estranged husband.
After serving 21 months, an appeals court granted Alexander a new trial.
Fort Lauderdale Democrat Rep. Perry Thurston sought unsuccessfully to use the bill as a vehicle to amend Florida’s “stand your ground” law, but the bill’s sponsor wouldn’t have it.
“The reason I got interested in this was not because I wanted to do anything with ‘stand your ground,’” Combee said, according to the Herald. “I didn’t want to repeal ‘stand your ground.’ I didn’t want to strengthen ‘stand your ground.’ ‘Stand your ground’ was not on my mind. Marissa Alexander was on my mind.”
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