The bill amends Section 11-8-8 of the General Laws in Chapter 11-8, titled "Burglary and Breaking and Entering," to include a new provision regarding the defense of property and self-defense. The bill introduces language that creates a rebuttable presumption in favor of the owner, tenant, or occupier of a property where a criminal offense is being committed. Specifically, if any person dies or sustains an injury while committing a criminal offense as defined in §§ 11-8-2 — 11-8-6, or 11-39-2, the law will presume that the property owner or occupier acted reasonably and in self-defense, believing that the person committing the offense was about to cause great bodily harm or death. This presumption applies in both civil and criminal proceedings, and there is no duty for the property owner or occupier to retreat from the offender.

Additionally, the bill extends this presumption to situations where a person dies or is injured while committing any violent criminal offense against someone who is lawfully in a place where they have the right to be. The inserted language emphasizes that the property owner, tenant, or occupier is presumed to have acted by reasonable means in self-defense without the duty to retreat when faced with a violent criminal offense. The act is set to take effect upon passage, reinforcing the right to self-defense and the defense of one's property without the obligation to retreat in the face of a criminal act.