Your Thoughts, Castle Doctrine

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That Castle Doctrine sign (assuming the BGs know how to read and also know what it means), is right up there with other great signs like: Warning this home protected by Castle Doctrine "No Duty to Retreat", Intruders found here at night will be found here in the morning, Forget the Dog-Beware the Owner, and Warning: Protected by ARMED Property Owner-There is Nothing Inside Worth Your Life!

I saw one today that made me chuckle: Prayer is the best way to meet the Lord. Trespassing is faster.
 
I would lean toward “Beware of Dog” as a potential living, active, alert, danger and alarm - the potential of a canine in the home is (I would think) universally more threatening than a firearm. One is hard to get close to and the other requires home proximity to be effective. In my mind, the presence (real or posted) of a dog is more of a deterrent than advertising a firearm.
I actually always thought "Beware of Dog" was to give the homeowner some cover against liability from solicitors etc getting bitten.
 
In Texas: A sign is not the only method of providing notice. Oral or written notice is accepted under the law. A fence can be notice. Instead of a fence, you can spray-paint trees with a 1-foot long vertical stripe that is at least 3 feet off the ground so people can see it. Finally, a farm that is growing a crop for human consumption can be notice that entry is forbidden.
And:
sign.jpg
 
I recently hung a Don’t Tread on Me flag in the yard.

A coworker told me that where he lives “don’t tread on me” flag means “I have guns in here”. Now I am rethinking it.

These days any expression of political opinion can get a person beaten up or otherwise targeted. For this reason I have no bumper stickers, no signs in my windows, etc.
 
So if you post a sign that says anything related to protecting your home, and some numbskull breaks in to rob you, and you shoot him, under the protection of the Castle Doctrine, you can be liable? For what? Warning the potential offender that there is a potential danger to him (or her) if they illegally enter the residence? Seems like if they did, you’d have more of a case against the offender. Not the other way around.

“Your honor, I clearly posted a warning sign outside my house as a deterrent to anyone who maybe wanted to break in. I was doing my best to stop this from happening and protect his well being. He chose to not heed the warning and put me in a position I never wanted to be in. Had he not chosen to enter a residence illegally, this would never have happened. I had no duty to retreat. I have the right to protect my home. And I didn’t have to post a warning. But I did.”

So if I go to the Zoo and there’s a sign at a lion cage that warns me of the dangers inside that cage, and I break out my bolt cutters, cut the fence, and go inside, I can sue the Zoo for what exactly? Being stupid? Them being truthful? Not providing an adequate warning? Not locking the cage well enough to protect an idiot with bolt cutters from getting inside?

I don’t have any stickers or signs. Don’t want them. But I’m glad I don’t live where you guys do. Our signs around here mean what they say. Best to believe them. And our DA’s and Judges aren’t going to punish someone who went so far as to warn a potential intruder about the danger inside a residence. I know, because I know the DA’s and Judges. The DA’s won’t waste the court’s time bringing a case like this unless there were extenuating circumstances. Criminals don’t get to be victims where I live. And I’m happy for it.
 
In Texas: A sign is not the only method of providing notice. Oral or written notice is accepted under the law. A fence can be notice. Instead of a fence, you can spray-paint trees with a 1-foot long vertical stripe that is at least 3 feet off the ground so people can see it. Finally, a farm that is growing a crop for human consumption can be notice that entry is forbidden.
And:
View attachment 846806
That is epic. Who misspells hog?
 
Thumbs down for me.

I was always taught that the first time someone should realize you have a firearm is after they have been shot with it.

It’s not an aggressive stance, rather a non escalation prospective.

If you were playing poker with others, would you have them deal your hand up and theirs down?
 
Signs like that surely invite the wrong kind of attention.

Telling someone you have a gun kind of foregoes the element of surprise.
 
So if you post a sign that says anything related to protecting your home, and some numbskull breaks in to rob you, and you shoot him, under the protection of the Castle Doctrine, you can be liable? For what? Warning the potential offender that there is a potential danger to him (or her) if they illegally enter the residence? Seems like if they did, you’d have more of a case against the offender. Not the other way around.

“Your honor, I clearly posted a warning sign outside my house as a deterrent to anyone who maybe wanted to break in. I was doing my best to stop this from happening and protect his well being. He chose to not heed the warning and put me in a position I never wanted to be in. Had he not chosen to enter a residence illegally, this would never have happened. I had no duty to retreat. I have the right to protect my home. And I didn’t have to post a warning. But I did.”

So if I go to the Zoo and there’s a sign at a lion cage that warns me of the dangers inside that cage, and I break out my bolt cutters, cut the fence, and go inside, I can sue the Zoo for what exactly? Being stupid? Them being truthful? Not providing an adequate warning? Not locking the cage well enough to protect an idiot with bolt cutters from getting inside?

I don’t have any stickers or signs. Don’t want them. But I’m glad I don’t live where you guys do. Our signs around here mean what they say. Best to believe them. And our DA’s and Judges aren’t going to punish someone who went so far as to warn a potential intruder about the danger inside a residence. I know, because I know the DA’s and Judges. The DA’s won’t waste the court’s time bringing a case like this unless there were extenuating circumstances. Criminals don’t get to be victims where I live. And I’m happy for it.
It's illegal to break into a house. Even BG's know this. Posting a sign indicating you're going to shoot them if they break in accomplishes what exactly?
 
Signs like this can go to show that the homeowner was spoiling for a fight. This undermines his self-defense claim.

People think they are being cute or humorous. But there could be legal consequences.

With the dark mystery of no information there is also the fear of the unknown. If the dog bites them, the lights and alarm both go off, they get too close to the bramble bushes and get torn up by thorns, they can wonder what awful thing is next, instead of having a written guide.
 
What’s going on in that picture? Are the windows boarded up to?

It’s their house they can put whatever tacky sign they want. Me, I wouldn’t. I also take better care of my place. Even if you aren’t wealthy a little effort can make your place look a lot nicer.

I planted a rose bush outside my window. It looks nice and the thorns are a real deterrent.

Treating your place like a dump and hanging a creepy sign can drive down the property value of your neighborhood.
 
I'm a firm believer in the Castle Doctrine. But I also feel that advertising like that is foolish. On of the characters in a Louis L'amour book had a sign over his gate saying " Ranged for a Spencer 56. Shooting going on here". Stuff like that sounds cool but may come back to haunt you.
 
Signs of that type make you think their is a goof ball inside. I would prefer to never mess with things that go bump in the night. But when I do, it will be quietly.
 
It's illegal to break into a house. Even BG's know this. Posting a sign indicating you're going to shoot them if they break in accomplishes what exactly?
Uhh, assuming they can read, it would tell them there may be far greater consequences for breaking in than just a night in jail. Most people breaking in to a residence are looking for a quick score. Not a fight for their life. They’re opportunists. Kind of like the old saying “Wonder why no one tries to rob the bag man for the mob?” Because there will be consequences far greater than jail if you’re caught.
 
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I'd echo that it's not wise to advertise....

I think about this when I see cars/trucks with firearm bumper stickers (NRA, manufacturer, etc) all over them. Not only does it make your car interesting to burglars but they also sit in front of your house when parked.
 
So by some on here’s logic, we should all drive rusted out 78 LTD’s and wear ratted out clothing. Because driving a nice vehicle and wearing nice clothes just advertises to robbers we likely have money. A previous poster told a story about his buddies new truck and some illegal immigrants. Well does that mean he shouldn’t have a nice truck?

If a man (or woman) has worked hard to make a good living and wants to treat themselves to nicer things, I don’t believe they shouldn’t for fear of what it may advertise to bad people.

And I’m sorry. But a warning posted outside a house, that may or may not be occupied, is not the same as an NRA, Glock, 1911, etc sticker on a vehicle. Because on 95+% of vehicles, it’s quite easy to tell if the vehicle is occupied. Unless you have thermal imaging, you cannot tell if I’m home at night or not. You might be able to see a sliver of a room if you look in the corner of a window around one of my blinds. But you cannot definitively tell if I’m home or not.

So while I don’t have (or want) any stickers or signs, I can’t see where the owner of that house is in the wrong.

And one more thing, not one person here knows the circumstances that individual who owns the home in the OP, is or has gone through. So why are we belittling them by talking crap about their home? It might be the only thing in the world that they own. And maybe they've been broken into several times already so they bought a Hi-Point and a sticker to try and protect it from scumbag thieves because that’s all they can afford. We don’t know. We just instantly judged them by the appearance off one picture. I thought this was “The High Road”.
 
It's illegal to break into a house. Even BG's know this. Posting a sign indicating you're going to shoot them if they break in accomplishes what exactly?

Some people honestly do need to be told not to steal or trespass.

I used to work at my local health department and patients used to steal bottles of hand sanitizer kept in the exam rooms. We started writing "do not remove from clinic" on the bottles and the thefts almost entirely stopped.
 
So by some on here’s logic, we should all drive rusted out 78 LTD’s and wear ratted out clothing. Because driving a nice vehicle and wearing nice clothes just advertises to robbers we likely have money. A previous poster told a story about his buddies new truck and some illegal immigrants. Well does that mean he shouldn’t have a nice truck?
Everything has its place. It's a well-known tactic among gun collectors to "dress down" and act like hicks when attending gun shows and negotiating on guns. The last thing you want to do is give the impression that you have money.

Studies have shown that the long-time wealthy (as opposed to the newly rich) tend to have lifestyles far below their means. Ostentatious display of wealth is tasteless as well as stupid.

Getting back to the subject at hand, that sign -- and the condition of the house in front of which it's posted -- bespeaks volumes about the mental and financial condition of the occupants. I'd lay odds that they're paranoid, as well as not having two nickels to rub together. To a smart thief, that would be the main reason to bypass that house, not the implied threat of being shot.
 
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