A drunken stumble into the wrong house could land someone 6 feet underground if legislation focusing on the use of lethal force is passed by state lawmakers, East Lansing police Chief Tom Wibert said.

"Several times a year we have intoxicated people who walk into the wrong house," he said. "It would be a sad thing to have a fatal mistake with that."

The House Committee on Judiciary is reviewing several similar bills that would allow someone who feels threatened by an assailant to use deadly force to defend themselves, both inside their home and out on the street, and not face criminal charges.

"What this specifically does is codify and statute what has been case law in Michigan," said Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge, who is a primary sponsor of one of the bills. "A victim of a violent crime has a right to defend themselves from the criminal."

The bills, House Bill No. 5143, introduced Sept. 7, and House Bill No. 5153, introduced Sept. 8, re-evaluate the rights of private citizens to use lethal force to defend themselves and their families.

Wibert said he sees the potential for such a law in Michigan but couldn't ignore the potentially negative consequences it carries.

"If you're in a neighborhood where there are a lot of felonies, I would be in favor of that law," he said.

One group said they plan to fight the bills because they say it would essentially make it OK to kill someone if passed.

"Our position on the bill comes from the fact it goes above and beyond what is necessary," said Zach Ragbourn, a spokesman for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. "They are apparently of the belief that there are many people in jail who have just defended themselves."

A similar law was recently passed in Florida which now means Michigan is the battleground to fight this issue, Ragbourn said, adding that there has been a national push for the creation of similar bills.

"If you are in a home and you defend your family, it is not persecution to have the police ask you if that is self defense," he said. "It is civic responsibility."

Rep. Leslie Mortimer, R-Horton, who sponsored one of the bills, said the inspiration for creating the legislation stemmed from an incident in which a man attempted to protect his home from an intruder, but was later jailed.

This legislation would then help people steer clear of getting caught in a legal mess when all they are really trying to do is protect themselves and their families from certain harm, Mortimer said.

The Michigan Partnership to Prevent Gun Violence is going to work to educate people about the negative effects of the bills, said Carolynne Jarvis, executive director of the partnership.

"We are setting up individual citizens to be a judge, jury and executioner in a country where we say everybody is entitled to their day in court," Jarvis said. "That isn't true anymore. We would be horrified if anyone went to court and was sentenced to the death penalty for stealing something.

"We live in a country based on the rule of law. This bill says we don't."

Both bills can be downloaded in PDF format from http://legislature.mi.gov.

Kris Turner can be reached at turne112@msu.edu.