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 self defense” and urged colleagues to “vote for House File 13.” Representative Nash described scenarios in which a safe place to retreat may not exist and expressed strong support.

Opponents warned the change could lead to more lethal confrontations and exacerbate racial disparities. Representative Hollins said, “We do not need to make killing people easier,” arguing self‑defense law should continue to require minimizing lethal harm when reasonable. Representative Frasier cited national data and said the statutes “fundamentally erode justice and escalate violence,” pointing to disparities in how self‑defense claims are ruled depending on race. Representative Pinto and Representative Moller warned the bill goes beyond the dissent in the Blevins case and urged colleagues to preserve the current reasonable‑possibility standard. Pinto summarized a centering principle: “If you can reasonably avoid the danger, do so.”

Floor action: On the first roll call, the House reported 66 yeas and 66 nays and the bill did not pass. Representative Nyska moved to reconsider; a roll call on that motion later passed 67 yeas to 65 nays. After reconsideration the majority then considered a nondebatable motion to lay House File 13 on the table; the motion was approved and the bill was laid on the table.

Key legal and factual points raised on the floor included references to Minnesota Statute 609.06 and to the Minnesota Supreme Court Blevins decision (including the dissent by Justice Thiessen). Supporters repeatedly described the change as restoring legislative authority over statutory text; opponents described it as a step that would increase the use of weapons and deaths in situations that could be avoided. Several members noted the existing ‘‘castle doctrine’’ protections for the home would remain.

Votes and formal actions recorded on the floor for House File 13: • First recorded vote on final passage (third reading): 66 yeas, 66 nays (measure did not pass on that vote). • Motion to reconsider (Representative Nyska): roll call passed 67 yeas, 65 nays. • Motion to lay House File 13 on the table (Representative Niska): voice vote/motion prevailed; bill laid on the table.

The floor debate included extended exchanges about the facts of the Blevins case and whether the bill’s language goes beyond the issues raised there. Members on both sides used hypothetical scenarios (a person threatened in a parking garage, a woman walking home, a person surrounded in a train station) to illustrate potential effects. The session transcript shows sustained attention to both legal doctrine and real‑world safety questions; no final passage of the bill occurred on the floor before it was tabled.

Provenance: discussion of House File 13 begins when the clerk reported the bill as “House file number 13, number 1 on the calendar for the day, an act relating to public safety, eliminating the duty to retreat before using reasonable force” and continues through the recorded votes and the motion to table.