HB36 - Alabama Church Protection Act

• Establishes the right to use physical force, including deadly force, in self-defense or defense of another person on church premises under specified conditions.

• Adds "church" definition as a bona fide duly constituted religious society or ecclesiastical body of any sect, order, or denomination, or any congregation thereof.

• Creates legal justification for using deadly force against a person using or about to use physical force against an employee, volunteer, or member of a church or any authorized person on church premises while committing or attempting to commit specified crimes involving death, serious injury, robbery, kidnapping, rape, sodomy, or sexual crimes against children under age 12.

• Provides immunity from criminal prosecution and civil action for persons using justified force under these provisions unless force is determined to be unlawful.

• Requires courts to conduct pretrial hearings upon defendant motion to determine immunity, with defendant bearing burden of proving force was justified by preponderance of evidence.