Alabama Governor Bob Riley signed legislation on Tuesday giving new legal protection to people who use deadly force against intruders in their homes, business and vehicles.

The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Larry Means, (D-Attalla) is modeled after the recently enacted law in Florida which is mirrored by Ohio’s HB 541 currently under scrutiny. The margin of victory, 30-2 in the House and 82-9 in the Senate, sends a clear signal of where Alabama stood on this controversial fight.

“With this new law, the decision of crime victims who choose to protect themselves and their families won’t be second-guessed” Gov. Riley stated at a bill signing ceremony.

Alabama’s new law, which takes effect June 1st will delete language from state law which states a person should not use deadly force during a break-in if he or she can avoid using force with complete safety, or rather duty to retreat.

"[It allows a person to] defend himself / herself or a third person from what he or she reasonably believes to be the use or imminent use of unlawful physical force by the other person,” Gov. Riley went on  to say. “When you feel your life or your family is in danger from an intruder, you should be able to practice self-defense and not worry if a judge or court is going to penalize you”.

As with all new self-defense legislation, the opponents were quick to predict that the new law would “increase vigilante justice”.

Ronald Jackson Executive Director of People United in Birmingham stated “anyone who thinks Alabama will be safer by this legislation will soon find homicides will escalate and that gunfire will be more indiscriminately used by people who have no training in firearm safety.”

Thankfully, Chris Cox, the NRA’s chief lobbyist defended the action stating that “Alabama was long overdue... The pendulum has been swinging in the direction of protecting criminals for too long, now it’s swinging back toward the victims”.

It is obvious that with similar legislation in many states, including Ohio, that the victory in Alabama can do nothing but good for the cause of HB541 and the mounting number of states who have undertaken the same uphill fight to give people the rights to defend their home, their business and their families.