A Texas homeowner caught two criminals in the act as they were attempting to steal things from his back yard shed. He then went outside and held them at gunpoint until police arrived.
Both suspects were booked on charges of theft greater than $50 in value but less than $500.
So the question is, would you have gone outside and drawn your firearm in the same situation?
There are a few things to consider here, which I will outline in bullet points below:
- The suspects were in the back yard inside a shed, away from the home
- The suspects were not armed
- If you add a firearm to any situation, you are presenting deadly force
If the suspects entered the home, that’s a whole other ballgame. But what if you’re watching them from your home as they are robbing your shed? Do you go outside with your firearm and confront them, or do you wait in your home with your firearm and call 911?
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What if the suspects took off on foot while the homeowner had a firearm pointed at them? Would the homeowner fire? Hopefully not. I for one wouldn’t want to be in court trying to answer the question of why I shot a person in the back as they were running away, regardless if they were on my property or not.
Or, what if the suspects started to charge the homeowner? Would he have fired at that time? Would possibly killing a person or two justify their stealing of a few hundred dollars worth of items?
I’m not choosing sides with any of the above questions, but they are all things to think about. Based on the information, I would have likely remained inside my home with my firearm ready in case they decided to try and break in here next, all while dialing 911 to report the incident.
Sure they’re on my property, but the landscape changes drastically if I were to introduce a firearm at a time I didn’t feel like I was in immediate danger. If they’re outside and I’m inside, I’m not in immediate danger.
But if they attempt to get into my home, all bets are off.
What would you have done?
