Minn. House debates duty-to-retreat repeal in House File 13; bill tabled after narrow procedural votes

House members debated House File 13, a bill to amend Minnesota self‑defense law by removing what supporters described as a judicially created “duty to retreat” and replacing it with a standard allowing ‘‘reasonable force.’’ Representative Bliss, the bill’s author from Beltrami, said the measure responds to a Minnesota Supreme Court decision and “This is not a shoot first bill” but instead codifies that “reasonable force may be used in resisting or aiding another to resist an offense against a person regardless of whether the reasonable possibility of retreat to avoid danger exists.”

The debate split largely along partisan lines and focused on legal history, practical effects in dangerous encounters and racial disparities in self‑defense rulings. Supporters said the bill restores clarity after the court’s interpretation of Minnesota Statute 609.06 and protects law‑abiding Minnesotans’ ability to defend themselves. Representative Knudson said the bill “reaffirms our fundamental right to…