Good. I do hope that you are not relying on a lay reading of the laws for your understanding, and that you have had them explained to you by a competent criminal defense attorney who also knows all of the relevant appellate decisions and other legal precedent.
Over the decades I've learned three important things about that subject: (1) it is unwise to rely on a lay interpretation of any statute and to not be thoroughly knowledgeable of the overall context, including legal precedent; (2) it's never a good idea to try to rationalize risky behavior by trying to convince oneself that a prospective act would be (just) within the law; and (3) one never enjoys the litation process, which will likely be very protracted indeed.
So then you are saying I need to heed the advice of someone on the net over my states written laws?
You say you have learned. That means it has happened to you. As in you are experienced on a level of it is something you have done. How long were you convicted for a legal shoot?
Sorry, but your version of my states laws, that you don't even know is advice I will not follow. If you really know my states laws better than I, then fill me in. Somne of you guys here are going out of your way to find reasons to NOT protect your liberty and freedoms. Hey man, if thats how you want to do it, go ahead. Next time something goes bump ask to put things on hold while you debate on the web how to best handle something.
Excellent. The next thing will be for you to provide evidence to support your defense of justification. A broken car window won't help; your unsubstantatied claim that you were threatened would likely not suffice. In the absence of clear, uncontradicted evidence that you had reason to believe that your the use of deadly force had in fact been immediately necessary, you would be in the hot seat. You might prevail, and you might not.
Joe Horn in Texas was lucky enough to have a law enforcement officer witness his shooting and say that Horn fired in self defense. What objective witness would come forth for you?
So you roll the dice....a second time, mind you, since to be in that position you have successfully rolled once on the tactical front and survived.
And that's the real point. Jurisdiction-specific legal issues aside, and I think you underestimate the risk on that front, heading out alone with a shotgun has been widely described here as foolhardy, and no one here has made a convincing argument that it is not.
The OP came out of it OK. The airline mechanic in Houston was not as lucky. Leaving a reasonably secure position to try to find an unknown number of potential threats in poor light alone is just not good strategy--and that's without even asking the question, what would one do if he were to find them without having been ambushed.
The proof will have to be found that I was not legal in what I did. Wife, and if I let them talk to the kids, will prove that preventing rape, kidnapping, and murder was in need of being stopped. The state will not look long and hard into it when everything is in order and they have no need to pay my lawyer and my wages lost after a false trial has found me innocent. Even if I do go on trial, because everyone here knows that you experts here know the laws best (when I highly doubt most of you do based on the simple display of lack of knowledge. You base action on what you think or hope or want things to be), it will be worth it to have kept my family alive and free from what they had in mind.
Your assumtions, thinks and over active imaginations are not a basis on what action to take in a life threatening situation. YOU, yes you need to learn, know and live by your states laws. If you make a chioce to compromise your safety or life. Then that is up to you. I can and will do what is legal. What you think or opine is of no consideration to me.
Some of you guys sound like Mas. Handloads will get you a murder rap. Print it in glossy pages of rags so people will buy the ammo on the next page in an ad for the latest greatest. Then squirm about when people can reply back to his unfounded thinks (when he gets froggy enough to come out and play), assumtions and wild scenarios. I understand he is an 'expert', but remember he is an expert without experience. You guys aren't even published, stop trying to be internet cowboys.
You need to come to grips with reality. If I legaly use a weapon to defend my family first, then myself, I will not be a criminal no matter how much you type about how you think I could have this or that........
