What is PISTOL?
PISTOL is the Constitutional Amendment passed by voters in 2008. The initiative dubbed PISTOL, for the People’s Initiative to Stop the Taking of Our Land, was introduced as a result of the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Kelo v. City of New London, 545 U.S. 469 (2005). The Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that the City of New London, Connecticut, could condemn private land and convey title to private developers who wanted to build an office complex, a river front hotel and health club. The city reasoned that it was acting in the public interest, because those things would produce more property tax money than homes, and would create jobs and promote tourism. The Kelo ruling brought fear to many homeowners who worried that their homes would become a target of eminent domain. Justice John Paul Stevens who authored Kelo, stated that states could avoid eminent domain abuses by passing laws against taking private land and transferring it to private owners. This lead to the cre
