SEBASTIAN COUNTY (KFSM) —A bill set to make its way through the Arkansas legislature would alter the state's self-defense laws and allow for people to use "stand your ground" provisions in deadly confrontations.
The label is controversial after Florida neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman avoided jail time after he shot and killed Trayvon Martain, a black teen in 2012.
5NEWS spoke with Sebastian County Sheriff Hobe Runion about the proposed bill.
"I think that the people want to have something that says they do not have a legal responsibility to retreat. You can certainly be in a situation like that. You won't always have a situation where you could retreat. Sometimes that's not feasible," Runion said.
A planned hearing over a "stand your ground" bill has been postponed after the bill's sponsor said he needed more time so he could amend the law to address concerns raised by sheriffs across the state.