http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2006/01/05/News/332469.html
Huckabee supports 'castle doctrine' law
Thursday, Jan 5, 2006
By Rob Moritz
Arkansas News Bureau
LITTLE ROCK - Gov. Mike Huckabee said Wednesday that he would support legislation in Arkansas for a law like one passed in Florida last year to protect citizens who use deadly force in self-defense against criminal prosecution and civil liability.
Huckabee told a caller to his monthly radio show that he has a permit to carry a concealed weapon and believes "there is an absolute right that people have to protect themselves and even their property."
Huckabee spokesman Jim Harris said the governor has had a concealed carry permit for more than three years but that the governor preferred not do discuss whether he actually carries a gun.
A spokesman for the National Rifle Association in Washington, D.C., said the organization would push legislation similar to the Florida law in Arkansas during the 2007 regular legislative session.
Huckabee also fielded several questions about education during his hour-long statewide call-in show on the Arkansas Radio Network, and said he had met with legislative leaders Tuesday to begin developing a plan address school reforms in a special session.
The governor also told callers that he was beginning the show's last year on the air. He is prevented by term limits from seeking re-election and will leave office when his term ends in early 2007.
"We're in the home stretch," he said.
During the show, a caller from Cabot asked the governor what he thought of Florida's so-called "Castle Doctrine." Passed last year, the law states that any person has the right to "stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly force if he or she reasonably believes it is necessary to do so to prevent death or great bodily harm."
The name of the law is drawn from the adage that a man's home is his castle.
"Personally, I think it's the way it ought to be," Huckabee said. "We ought to have the right to protect ourselves. If that were introduced in Arkansas, I would certainly be supportive."
The NRA lobbied heavily for the Florida legislation and after its approval, Wayne LaPierre, the organization's executive vice president, said he hoped to see it passed in other states over the next few years.
"We'll be pushing it in Arkansas and a number of other states," NRA Public Affairs Director Andrew Arulanandam said Wednesday.
On public education, a favorite topic among callers to his show Wednesday, Huckabee said he still has no idea when a special session would be held and won't know until lawmakers address key issues. He said any special session must include measures to improve school accountability, transparency and efficiency.
"There has to be definite goals for a session," the governor said.
Last month, the state Supreme Court ruled that the Legislature failed to make education spending its top priority in the 2005 legislative session and said lawmakers "grossly underfunded" school building repairs and construction.
The high court set a Dec. 1 deadline for lawmakers to address what Justice Robert Brown called "a constitutional infirmity which must be corrected immediately."
The governor said it is crucial to make sure school funds are being spent efficiently.
"We can't just keep throwing money at schools without knowing where it's going and how it's being spent," he said.
He reiterated is desire for the Legislature to develop a pay plan or pay scale for school administrators, based on workload and size of the district. Some superintendents are paid too much for the work they do while others aren't paid enough, he said.
Huckabee also said he is in the process of selecting a committee of award-winning teachers to meet with him privately to recommend education reforms.
"It seems like we listen to a lot of different people talk about education, but we don't let teachers have a voice," he said. "We need to hear form the folks out there on the front lines."
Huckabee supports 'castle doctrine' law
Thursday, Jan 5, 2006
By Rob Moritz
Arkansas News Bureau
LITTLE ROCK - Gov. Mike Huckabee said Wednesday that he would support legislation in Arkansas for a law like one passed in Florida last year to protect citizens who use deadly force in self-defense against criminal prosecution and civil liability.
Huckabee told a caller to his monthly radio show that he has a permit to carry a concealed weapon and believes "there is an absolute right that people have to protect themselves and even their property."
Huckabee spokesman Jim Harris said the governor has had a concealed carry permit for more than three years but that the governor preferred not do discuss whether he actually carries a gun.
A spokesman for the National Rifle Association in Washington, D.C., said the organization would push legislation similar to the Florida law in Arkansas during the 2007 regular legislative session.
Huckabee also fielded several questions about education during his hour-long statewide call-in show on the Arkansas Radio Network, and said he had met with legislative leaders Tuesday to begin developing a plan address school reforms in a special session.
The governor also told callers that he was beginning the show's last year on the air. He is prevented by term limits from seeking re-election and will leave office when his term ends in early 2007.
"We're in the home stretch," he said.
During the show, a caller from Cabot asked the governor what he thought of Florida's so-called "Castle Doctrine." Passed last year, the law states that any person has the right to "stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly force if he or she reasonably believes it is necessary to do so to prevent death or great bodily harm."
The name of the law is drawn from the adage that a man's home is his castle.
"Personally, I think it's the way it ought to be," Huckabee said. "We ought to have the right to protect ourselves. If that were introduced in Arkansas, I would certainly be supportive."
The NRA lobbied heavily for the Florida legislation and after its approval, Wayne LaPierre, the organization's executive vice president, said he hoped to see it passed in other states over the next few years.
"We'll be pushing it in Arkansas and a number of other states," NRA Public Affairs Director Andrew Arulanandam said Wednesday.
On public education, a favorite topic among callers to his show Wednesday, Huckabee said he still has no idea when a special session would be held and won't know until lawmakers address key issues. He said any special session must include measures to improve school accountability, transparency and efficiency.
"There has to be definite goals for a session," the governor said.
Last month, the state Supreme Court ruled that the Legislature failed to make education spending its top priority in the 2005 legislative session and said lawmakers "grossly underfunded" school building repairs and construction.
The high court set a Dec. 1 deadline for lawmakers to address what Justice Robert Brown called "a constitutional infirmity which must be corrected immediately."
The governor said it is crucial to make sure school funds are being spent efficiently.
"We can't just keep throwing money at schools without knowing where it's going and how it's being spent," he said.
He reiterated is desire for the Legislature to develop a pay plan or pay scale for school administrators, based on workload and size of the district. Some superintendents are paid too much for the work they do while others aren't paid enough, he said.
Huckabee also said he is in the process of selecting a committee of award-winning teachers to meet with him privately to recommend education reforms.
"It seems like we listen to a lot of different people talk about education, but we don't let teachers have a voice," he said. "We need to hear form the folks out there on the front lines."
