Montana Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans Betrays our Nation’s First Principles!
In a shocking display of wilful ignorance concerning our Nation’s First Principles, Senators Usher and Lamers vote for an amendment that gutted Senate Bill 127.
S.B. 127 would provide the citizenry with a grantor of a judicial proceeding and the right to appeal for appropriate relief from the courts. It affords individuals who use or threaten to use force in self-defense reimbursement of reasonable costs and expenses involved in their legal defense.
Simply put, the bill strengthens the legal protection for individuals who are compelled, through no fault of their own, into a position of having to exercise their God-given right to defend their life, liberty, property with arms from external coercion.
Additionally, this legislation provides a prudent check upon the power of government by giving prosecutors or other government officials, who might be driven by foreign ideological beliefs that do not comport with the nation’s First Principles, a necessary pause before they proceed with pursuing a course of action against a citizen that would result in vulgar a miscarriage of justice.
During the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Sen. Laura Smith (D, D 79) proposed three amendments that effectively gutted the original intent of the legislation.
Chairman Usher (R, D20), along with Senators Smith, Olsen (D, D50), Lammers (R, D41), Neumann (D, D30), voted in favor of the amendment (SB0127.001.002), which would require a unanimous jury verdict in order to grant reimbursement for court costs that result from a self-defense incident. Given the fractured state of our society, getting a jury to come to a unanimous decision during a contentious self-defense trial is fanciful at best.
Meaning this amendment would render the legislation all but useless. Sen. Emrich (R, D11) and the bill sponsor Sen. Manzella (R, D44) pointed that out to the committee members before the vote.
Given that Senators Usher and Lamers broke ranks, the bill supporters were compelled to table S.B. 127.
It is important to point out that Sen. Usher is a GOA endorsee and a ranking member of the Montana Freedom Caucus. Hence, it is highly problematic that he would prioritize amendments that would facilitate the enabling of county prosecutors, i.e. public servants, to continue to abuse their power and pervert justice by maliciously prosecuting citizens for exercising their God-given right to defend life with arms.
From the recorded evidence in the committee hearing, one can only conclude that Senators Usher and Lamers are in favor of continuing to allow prosecutors to abuse the prerogatives their position over protecting the God-given liberties of citizens of Montana.
GOA is officially placing Sen. Usher’s NO COMPROMISE endorsement under review!
Watch the Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing: Time 12:32:00 – 12:50:54
