By Julia Shumway | Arizona Capitol Times
A Republican lawmaker who wants to allow business owners to maim or kill looters is under fire from progressive activists who say she’s inciting violence — and from her primary opponent, who says she stole his idea.
Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, R-Scottsdale, explained in a lengthy Facebook post late last week that she was asking Gov. Doug Ducey to extend a legal justification for using force or deadly force to business owners or managers defending their property from criminal damage.
Neither Ugenti-Rita nor a Ducey spokesman returned calls for comment.
Arizona law already justifies the use of deadly force to prevent serious crimes including murder, kidnapping, sexual assault, armed robbery and burglary. The bill Ugenti-Rita said she plans to propose would extend that justification if the person believes force is necessary to prevent anyone from intentionally defacing or damaging property the person owns or manages.
