MacTheKnife
Gold Member
- Jul 20, 2018
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Do you understand the 'CastleDocrine' .....what state do you live in?....as pointed out earlier there are only a few states that require you to retreat....and none of them specify you have to jump out a window or climb up inside a chimney etc. They simple tell you if you have the ability to retreat you should do so...if you can do so safely.Question for the Irish Ram......your are house sitting for your grandparents......before he left your grandpa put his shotgun in the corner of your bedroom....telling you it is loaded and if you need to use it all you have to do is point it at the intruder, burglar or whoever and pull the trigger.
You are sound asleep in the upstairs bedroom when you hear someone break down the front door....then you hear steps coming up the stairs.
What would you do?
If someone was stupid enough to make enough noise by breaking down the door, I'd have a bead on them and shoot as soon as they got through. I would aim low, shoot, and then tell the cops to check the hospitals for the perp.
I'll do you one better. I'm sitting alone in my home. No phone, no electric. Hurricane Rita causing the creek to wipe out the garage, the electric poles, phone lines etc. Most evacuated. I did not. The hill behind my house was my exit should the water rise into the house. At 1am 2 men showed up to rob the house. I could see their silhouettes on the honeycomb shade. I reached over and took the loaded rifle in my lap. There is one loaded in nearly every corner in every room. I shoot skeet for sport, I also shoot snakes, raccoons that are killing the ducks, possums killing the chickens and other various vermin.
So, as they stood there deciding which window to enter, I sat 10 feet away. They had a flashlight in their hands. I had a gun with the safety off. So I pondered my options while they pondered their entrance. I knew there would be no need to kill them. I thought about popping one off right over their heads but I didn't want to break the window. I decided to let them go ahead and let one break in and then hit him in the shoulder.
BECAUSE even though I was the one in danger, due to their actions, had I shot them outside in my yard, I would be the one going to jail, not them.
In fact, in your scenario, if someone is coming up the steps, I am now obligated by law to try to climb out of a window or hide in a closet or some stupid shit before I act defensively. Not bloody likely.
And, if someone jumped out of the bushes somewhere and aimed a shotgun at me, I would instinctively try to get it away from the threat. So would you. That man was not putting the shooters in danger. It was the other way around.
Which is a terrible law and that is why so many states have and or are enacting the stand your grouond law.
A person may think they can escape or retreat safely...but that might be a big mistake on their part as they run from the intruder coming through the front door by going out the back door there may be another bad guy in the back yard....or the intruder might chase them down and do whatever he wants to them.
The reason for the law that requires one to retreat obviously was designed to keep criminals alive.....thus they stupidly created that law because they had more concern for the perp than for the innocent homeowner.
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