Boise (670 KBOI News) – A vote in the Idaho House State Affairs Committee starts the process of passing a “Stand Your Ground” law in Idaho.

In current Idaho law, there is no so-called duty to retreat…in other words, if your life is threatened, you don’t have to run away.

But Second Amendment Attorney Alexandria Kincaid of Boise says all too often, when someone uses deadly force to protect his or her life, or their children, those people are guilty until proven innocent.

A Stand Your Ground law would change all that, she said.

“If someone’s in your home, at night, you have not invited them there, you can make a quick decision, you don’t have to announce yourself, you don’t have to figure out if they intend to do you harm, you can decide to use deadly force to defend yourself and your family,” said Kincaid.  “If you do that, the laws of the State of Idaho will be on your side.”

The Stand Your Ground law would also protect people from over-zealous prosecutors, and allow them to recover financial costs if they’re tried and found innocent.

The committee voted 14-1 to send the bill to print.