California Bill Restricts Self-Defense Against Crime, Ends Crime-Stopping Protection

Assemblyman Rick Zbur (D-Los Angeles) responded to mounting criticism on Tuesday following a huge public backlash against a bill he introduced late last week that would severely limit self defense against crime in the state of California.

Zbur’s bill, Assembly Bill 1333, would eliminate certain circumstances under which homicide is justifiable, including, among others, in defense of a habitation or property. The bill would additionally clarify circumstances in which homicide is not justifiable, including, among others, when a person uses more force than necessary to defend against a danger.

Much of AB 1333 was left ambiguous, with an entire section of the bill leaving open questions into when homicide wasn’t justifiable. According to the bill, homicide would not be justified:

(1) When the person was outside of their residence and knew that using force likely to cause death or great bodily injury could have been avoided with complete safety by retreating.

(2) When the person used more force than was reasonably necessary to defend against a danger.

(3) When the person was the assailant, engaged in mutual combat, or knowingly engaged in conduct reasonably likely to provoke a person to commit a felony or do some great bodily injury, except if either of the following circumstances apply:

(A) The person reasonably believed that they were in imminent danger of death or great bodily injury, and had exhausted every reasonable means to escape such danger other than the use of force likely to cause death or great bodily injury.

(B) In good faith, the person withdrew from the encounter with the other assailant or assailants and indicated clearly to the other assailant or assailants that the person desired to withdraw and terminated the use of any force, but the other assailant or assailants continued or resumed the use of force.

The ambiguous wording, plus the huge limitation of self-defense outraged many over the past weekend. While initially submitted under the radar, AB 1333 became one of the most talked about bills within days of being introduced.

“Sacramento Democrats have spent the last 15 years tying the hands of law enforcement and coddling criminals, using and abusing ordinary Californians in their attempt to make criminals the real victims,” said Riverside County Sheriff  and 2026 gubernatorial candidate Chad Bianco (R). “Now, they’re actively trying to tie the hands of our residents, who have had to defend themselves against re-released career criminals far too often. Prop 36 should have been a wake-up call – Californians are sick and tired of crime, and they are demanding that leaders in Sacramento do something about it. Unfortunately for us, Legislative Democrats can’t put aside their backwards ideology. It’s time for a change.”

“This bill is a complete assault on self defense!” added Assemblyman Tom Lackey (R-Palmdale). “Imagine this: A violent criminal breaks into your home, and YOU have to second-guess whether defending your family is ‘justifiable.’ The misguided energy behind this proposal is beyond comprehension.”

However, the bill was also defended just as fast. Most notably, gun control groups released statements to combat the growing public outrage.

“This legislation builds on California’s gun safety legacy and lays the blueprint for the rest of the nation,” said Monisha Henley, senior vice president for government affairs at Everytown for Gun Safety, in a statement. “White supremacists and other extremists have hidden behind self-defense laws to fire a gun and turn any conflict into a death sentence. Now, lawmakers have an opportunity to help stop that and save lives. We thank Assemblymember Zbur for his commitment to gun safety and listening to advocates and experts on ways to keep Californians safe from gun violence.”

Despite some groups coming to his defense, Zbur was nonetheless inundated with criticism. This caused him to respond on Tuesday, saying that the bill wasn’t intended to limit self-defense. In addition, Zbur promised new amendments to his bill coming soon.

“AB 1333 was never intended to limit a crime victim’s right to defend yourself, your family, or home,” Zbur posted on X. “The goal is to prevent wannabe vigilantes like Kyle Rittenhouse from provoking violence & claiming self defense after the fact. We will amend the bill to make this crystal clear.”

Even after promising to amend it on Tuesday, criticism continued to come in.

“BAD BILL ALERT AB 1333 would eliminate certain circumstances under which homicide is justifiable, including, among others, in defense of a habitation or property,” said Assemblywoman Kate Sanchez (R-Trabuco Canyon). “The bill would additionally clarify circumstances in which homicide is not justifiable, including, among others, when a person uses more force than necessary to defend against a danger. Contact your local legislator and tell them you support our rights to protect ourselves.”

As of Tuesday evening, AB 1333 finds itself with few defenders, and Zbur likely having to make significant alterations to the bill for it to even stand a chance when it goes in front of Assembly Committees in the coming months.

“This one caught many off guard,” said Dana, a Capitol staffer at the Capitol Building. “The bill was likely going to be amended anyway, but the sheer vitriol against AB 1333 has been eye opening. Let me put it this way. When you have to make a statement defending your bill and it is not even March yet, something went very, very wrong.

“It is curious that he mentions Rittenhouse because he was acquitted of all charges from the Kenosha shooting, as he was being attacked and used necessary force to defend himself. I’m dating myself a bit, but this also has shades of Bernie G0etz, who defended himself in New York back in the 80’s. And he had minimal legal repercussions as, again, it was self-defense.

“Zbur needs to amend this bill a lot for it to be passed. He also needs to think of Newsom. He’s getting more and more persnickety when it comes to signing bills as he has his eye on 2028. And taking a stand on self-defense like this by signing a bill may  really hurt him. But beyond that, with crime still prevalent across the state, this sort of bill isn’t that popular. Zbur is really going to need to think this one through.”