I'm trying to find out laws about firearms. I've been to packing.org which is a very helpful site about possesion laws and getting permits, etc. It doesn't tell me when I'm allowed to use it though.

Here's the scenario, You're in your bed sleeping and someone breaks into your house. Are you allowed to pull out your licensed hand gun and just shoot them right there? Or do you need to be threatened or shot at first? What makes it okay or 'self defense'?

Reason I bring this up is I got robbed twice in the last week. First time, they ransacked the house and grabbed all the little things (CD's, DVD's, little electronics/gadgets and jewerly). Two days later, they came back for the bigger things and took my 17" Flat LCD monitor, Dolby Stereo System, Xbox, Gamecube and other little crap.

I actually came home the 2nd time they were robbing my house. I drove in my driveway, saw lights on in the house that I left off, and someone standing at the doorway. I called 911, and kept honking my horn over and over to get the neighbor's attention. By the time the cops came 5 minutes later, they all left out the back. I don't think they will come back because they pretty much got everything, but I really want to protect myself in case it were to happen again.

My brother got robbed twice. He got a mid-sized dog (Australian Cattle Dog/German Shepard mix). No more problems, and a lot less liability (though not zero liability, mind you) than using a gun.

-jk

Holy crap man. I'm sorry. That's one of the most horrible feelings, being invaded like that... and twice no less. blech.

yeah, it really feels horrible. I really feel sick, I even lost my appetite which is really unlike me.

I also think they grabbed my 80gb empeg. I can't find it. ugh!

That depends on which state you live in. AFAIK (essentially picked up off various news groups and web boards), in some states you'd be entitled to shoot to protect property, but in others you wouldn't be allowed to unless you were in fear of your life and hade no way to escape.

From what I've heard, the dos and don'ts are well covered in the gun classes that many states require for you to be able to get a CCW permit.

/Michael

I don't know where you live, but if it's in TX - then Fire Away!!! You can shoot anyone who trespasses.

Sorry to hear about the thefts. I can't imagine how terrifying that would be.

- trs

You can shoot anyone who trespasses.

I heard that in TX you can shoot someone in the back as they're running away from you. Is that true?

If they're on your property, I think you can shoot them wherever you want. Of course, I never researched the validity of that. It's just what everybody told me when I lived there.

The law/requlation I thought was much more interesting, though, was that in Austin, no one is required to wear anything above the waist - male or female. I saw this in action the first weekend I was in Austin (exercised by females). From then on I know that Austin was a magical place.

I'm not sure about gun regulations in NM (where I live now), but I do know that there are a couple of counties here where it's REQUIRED that you carry a firearm by law. I try to stay away from those particular counties.

- trs

I think you can shoot them wherever you want.

...but only if they hold still.

I'm surprised that every's into shooting the guy in the back and whatnow..

Hell. Just shoot him in the leg. He'll stop, NOT run away, still be alive, so you won't get brought to court for murder..

As far as the self-defence thing, IF you get brought to court, you would have to prove that you were in fact protecting yourself..

Me.

Hmm. I've read in more than one place that it is better to actually kill them - one point of view is better than two when it comes to litigation. Of course this only applies where shooting in self defence is allowed to begin with.

When I lived in South Africa it was the same. If you're gonna shoot someone make sure you kill them. Not for the lawsuits, but for the Police paperwork. It's apparently a lot less, as they only have to take 1 statement (yours)

It definitely varies from state to state. In my homestate of Louisiana you'd be legally justified to kill in that situation. What state do you live in?

Some good sites to read about the various laws:
http://www.gunlaws.com/
nra.org

btw - I would recommend a 12 gauge pump shotgun to get the suckers. A pistol is fine, but you can't miss with a 12 gauge, and it will make a bigger mess of their face and is sure to drop them with one hit. Plus a shotgun won't overpenetrate; bullets can go through a window or a wall and hit little suzie sleeping in bed next door. If they're armed with a handgun, you'll have the upperhand with the 12 ga.

In the UK you're supposed to show them around and point out the places where you hide your wife's irreplaceable jewelery, toss them your car keys then bend over and ask if there's "anything else you'd like" before they leave.

Then, if you can be bothered, file a police report (for insurance purposes only of course).

edit: In the UK you can own a shotgun without a reason (even a SPAS-12 if modified to 3 rounds) and a rifle for certain reasons - eg. target shooting, pest control on land etc. Even an AR-15 in semi-auto is still legal.

Gareth

Interesting.....I heard it's a pain to get a rifle in the UK but I didn't know anyone could get a shotgun. I read a story a while back about a guy in the UK who went to jail for killing some kid that broke into his house. The shotgun won't do you much good if the laws won't allow you to put it to good use. Granted, I think he shot the guy in the back, so that may have been why he was arrested. What do the laws in the UK allow as far as self-defense goes?

Thanks for the responses guys. I live in Washington State. Just so you don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to go out and find someone to kill, I'm all about protecting myself. I live by myself at the moment. When I got out this morning to leave to work, I walked all around my house being very paranoid and scared that someone was there watching when I leave. Man, I really haven't been myself lately, I feel like a wuss. My emotions are going nuts because of everything that happened.

Get a dog. A good growly dog. That way they'll know that there's a dog in there. They'll never know about your gun until you confront them, and the dog's got less qualms about biting than you do about shooting.

But, for God's sake, don't train the dog to attack. You'd feel worse if it bit the head off your neighbor's cat, or, worse, baby.

personally, i dont like the dog idea. id prefer to shoot the fucker. with a dog in the house, the thief is not going to stick around long enough to get bit, let alone get shot.

When I got out this morning to leave to work, I walked all around my house being very paranoid and scared that someone was there watching when I leave. Man, I really haven't been myself lately, I feel like a wuss. My emotions are going nuts because of everything that happened.

At the risk of starting a flamewar, surely that's exactly the mental state in which it's a really bad idea to be toting a lethal weapon? The last thing you want is for the burglar to shoot you in self-defence.

Peter

I say stand up and fight for what's yours. I'd rather die fighting than to live knowing I didn't try... Don't let these jackasses get away with it. They'll get what's coming to them.

I would take a class. I know in minnesota they offer classes you take before getting a conceal and carry permit the cover just this subject.

personally, i dont like the dog idea. id prefer to shoot the fucker. with a dog in the house, the thief is not going to stick around long enough to get bit, let alone get shot.

Wasn't the point to prevent theft?

I would take a class.

I agree. It looks like Washington has a shall-issue policy for concealed carrying, so a permit should be easy to get and the class will be informative, however, he won't need the permit to defend his home from the theives, assuming washington state allows for basic self-defense.

Wasn't the point to prevent theft?

the simple presence of a firearm will not prevent the thief from attempting, unless hes aware of said presence. with a dog, hed still get in the house (unless the dog was outside, or there were signs posted) but i think im trying to say : if im going to be there when the thievery is attempted, id prefer taking a huge chunk out of his anatomy over having him run off at the sight of a ferociously non-violent dog and be physically well enough to make future attempts, on myself or someone else.

I actually came home the 2nd time they were robbing my house. I drove in my driveway, saw lights on in the house that I left off, and someone standing at the doorway.

How exactly does a firearm help in this situation?

I agree with Bitt. You need a German Shepherd.

--Dan.

<Admin Note>
At Rob's request, I have removed this post. Rob wishes to apologize to anyone who was offended or hurt by its tone or content.

In that situation in might not help. I ended up staying in my car waiting for the police. If I had a gun, I could have run up to them and stopped them.

I'm just talking about the future. I would really feel more secure having one and just need to know when it's okay to shoot it without getting assault/murder charges against me.

If I had a gun, I could have run up to them and stopped them.

Perhaps, if you had it with you. My thoughts would go something like this:

- Will the gun do any good if it is not with you when you need it? If it's locked in a safe in the basement when you come home to find your house being robbed, is it really helping? To be effective, you'd need to get a permit, and carry said firearm at all times.

- OK, so you happen to have the gun with you when you come home to find a group of men ransacking your house. How do you determine that they don't also have weapons? Is your family with you? Are you willing to put yourself and them at risk while you try to defend your house against an unknown force?

- Perhaps the value of your life, and those that you love, is more important than having to deal with the insurance company over a stolen TV.

I'm not trying to give you a hard time, I just wonder whether that gun will really buy you peace of mind. I live about 200 yards from a Chicago neighborhood that is a poverty-stricken, drug-filled war zone. Some of that leaks over into my neighborhood from time to time, but I would never consider owning a gun. Just too many risks.

I'd still go for the dog. I't always at home, always defending, whether you are or not. Besides, dogs are great in any case.

--Dan.

In reply to:

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I actually came home the 2nd time they were robbing my house. I drove in my driveway, saw lights on in the house that I left off, and someone standing at the doorway.

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How exactly does a firearm help in this situation?

Cause when you pull the trigger on a gun, it goes bang and shoots a bullet out of the barrel, and if properly aimed it can incapacitate the bad guy leaving him to either die as he ponders whether it really was worth his life to burgarlize people, or it can leave him severely wounded while the police show up and then he can have 15 years in jail to think about it.

So exactly how does this dog thing work?