Wyoming lawmakers introduced a bill this year that would have given real protection to people dragged through the criminal justice system after using lawful self-defense. House Bill 14, titled Protecting self-defense-reimbursement and amendments, would have required counties to reimburse defendants who were found not guilty, had charges dismissed, or were otherwise released from prosecution because they reasonably used defensive force under Wyoming law.
But the bill did not make it out of the House. HB0014 failed introduction on February 10, 2026, by a 29-32-1 vote.
HB0014 was aimed at one of the most abusive realities of modern self-defense law: even when a peaceable citizen does everything right and ultimately beats the charge, the state can still leave that person financially wrecked. Lawyer bills, bail costs, lost work, and the stigma of arrest do not disappear just because a prosecutor loses.
This bill tried to address that by making the government pay when the system comes after someone who lawfully defended himself, his family, another person, or property. The bill text says the county “shall reimburse” reasonable costs, including attorney fees, bail costs, loss of time, and even costs tied to seeking expungement. From wyoleg.gov:
If a person who is subject to criminal prosecution is found not guilty, has had the charges dismissed or is otherwise released from custody or further prosecution because the person reasonably used defensive force in accordance with W.S. 6‑2‑602, the county where the person was charged or subject to criminal prosecution shall reimburse the person for all reasonable costs, including loss of time, bail costs, attorney fees and other costs and expenses involved in the person’s defense, including the costs of seeking or receiving an expungement under W.S. 6‑2‑605.
Under proposed W.S. 6-2-604, reimbursement would have been available when a defendant was found not guilty, when charges were dismissed, or when the person was otherwise released from custody or further prosecution because the person reasonably used defensive force in accordance with W.S. 6-2-602. That is broader than a simple acquittal-only rule and would have covered cases that never made it to a full trial.
If a defendant was acquitted at trial, the trier of fact would decide whether the person was eligible for reimbursement because the acquittal rested on lawful self-defense, but the court would determine the amount of the award. In dismissal or no-prosecution cases, the defendant could file a petition in the county court where the case arose, and the court would decide both eligibility and the reimbursement amount. In other words, the bill did not make the jury set the dollar value of the award.
HB0014 also would have added an expungement mechanism tied specifically to successful self-defense cases. A person found not guilty, released, or whose charges were dismissed because of lawful defensive force could petition for expungement in the county where the prosecution occurred. If the person was acquitted because of lawful self-defense, the bill says the court would advise that person upon acquittal of the right to immediately file for expungement. There would be no filing fee for the expungement petition.
(g) If the court enters an order of expungement under this section, the person shall be deemed to have never been arrested, charged or prosecuted with respect to the matters and charges that are subject to the order of expungement, and the person may so swear under oath.
Bill HB14 is sponsored by 23 representative(s): Brown, G, Allemand, Banks, Brady, Campbell, K, Guggenmos, Haroldson, Heiner, Hoeft, Knapp, Locke, Lucas, Ottman, Riggins, Schmid, Smith, S, Strock, Styvar, Wasserburger, Webb, Webber, Wharff and Winter. The bill is sponsored by 4 Senator(s): French, Ide, Laursen, D and Pearson.
The Wyoming Senate has 31 members: 29 Republicans and 2 Democrats. The Wyoming House of Representatives has 62 members: 56 Republicans and 6 Democrats. Governor Gordon of Wyoming took time to appear at the Governors Forum at the SHOT Show. He appeared to be a strong supporter of the Second Amendment. He does not appear to have made a statement for or against this bill.
Wyoming is following Washington State’s lead. In Washington, there is a self-defense reimbursement statute, RCW 9A.16.110. The Washington statute is used infrequently. The Wyoming bill goes a bit further than the Washington statute, as it includes particulars for expungement. The bill’s supporters expect it will also be used infrequently. The bill is expected to prompt prosecutors to be more careful in prosecuting self-defense cases.
For gun owners, the principle behind HB0014 is easy to understand. The right to armed self-defense means less if the state can prosecute a lawful defender, fail to convict, and still leave him bankrupt and branded. Anti-gun politicians and activist prosecutors love to talk about “process,” but process itself becomes punishment when the innocent are forced to spend months or years and tens of thousands of dollars proving what should have been obvious from the beginning.
A reimbursement statute does not give anyone a free pass for criminal violence. It simply tells the government that if it comes after a person who lawfully used defensive force and loses, taxpayers—not the innocent defendant—should bear the cost.
HB0014 is dead for now, but the idea behind it is sound. If states are serious about recognizing self-defense as a fundamental right, they should also recognize that an innocent person cleared on self-defense grounds should not be left holding the bill for his own vindication. Wyoming had a chance to move in that direction this year. The House chose not to.
About Dean Weingarten:
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of Constitutional Carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
