They got my truck....

[KBCraig]

Not that I would shoot someone for my property,

I'm starting to reconsider this. I know...it's not the greatest stance ever...but is just letting people have thier way with our hard earning belongings better?

I believe that it is morally justified to use whatever force is necessary to stop and/or apprehend someone who is stealing your property. All property represents a portion of your life that you have traded away to gain the goods. Stealing your goods is the same as stealing that portion of your life that it would take to replace them.

That said, there is the pragmatic consideration that choosing to use force, especially deadly force, to protect property may cost the individual much more than the property is worth.

Pragmatism usually results in a lesser of two evils. In this case, it results in the evil of surrendering your goods to a thief, with almost no chance of getting them back. It also results in the evil of letting the thief continue his predations on your fellow citizens.

Kevin

[Flatland2D]

Sorry to hear about this. I can sympathize with you wanting to reconsider your stance after this has happened. I was chastized for saying this a few months back. Can't say I would or I wouldn't use "deadly force", but the thought of someone taking something that I have worked hard for makes me sick in my stomach. I find it really hard to have any kind of feelings towards thieves. My car is more to me than a dollar amount. It represents a lot of hard work and time spent fixing and maintaining it. It is a piece of my life. I do realize though, I'd be in way over my head in legal battles.

The strange thing is that I drive a car with modifications equal to double the cost of the car itself. My wife drives a regular Civic. Guess whose car get's broken into? Her car, three times, not once happened to mine. On top of that I've been living in SA for almost 8 years now, she's been here for two. One time was a few days after we got married and it still said "Just married" on the windows. Fortunately all our presents were moved into our home by then, but the thought of someone stealing from my wife as we are starting our life together makes me mad to say the least. However, I believe that what has kept my car safe is the blinking alarm LED on the dash. Wife's car doesn't have one (though I'm tempted to wire up a blinking LED to scare off potential thieves until we get an alarm for that car). An alarm that beeps on the remote when someone tries to break in is on the list of things to get someday.

[gigag04]

I want to clarify me earlier comment. In "reconsidering" my stance, this does not mean that I'm smoking anyone who steals from me.

It does mean that burgulary in the night time carries a legal defense for use of deadly force, and that I think if more thugs got blown away trying to steal it would happen less. I can put a "don't make me a test case" label on this, but it is something to consider.

I love what KBCraig had to say about the pragmatic considerations.

I guess it would be better if we as a body of texans decided that we would stand against our property being stolen as opposed to one man fighting back now and again....

....but...didn't the TX legislature (with thier constituents) already do that by putting a defense to prosecution for use of deadly force against burgulary in the nighttime?

-nick

[stevie_d_64]

I want to clarify me earlier comment. In "reconsidering" my stance, this does not mean that I'm smoking anyone who steals from me.

It does mean that burgulary in the night time carries a legal defense for use of deadly force, and that I think if more thugs got blown away trying to steal it would happen less. I can put a "don't make me a test case" label on this, but it is something to consider.

I love what KBCraig had to say about the pragmatic considerations.

I guess it would be better if we as a body of texans decided that we would stand against our property being stolen as opposed to one man fighting back now and again....

....but...didn't the TX legislature (with thier constituents) already do that by putting a defense to prosecution for use of deadly force against burgulary in the nighttime?

-nick

I believe the intent was to cover any "home" style burglaries in the "night-time"...

If you have to get up, go out, to observe someone committing a crime on a piece of property, like your vehicle, or other external structure on your property...

That may have to be a personal judgement call...In my opinion there are a multitude of things you can do leading up to the use, or the threat of, deadly force in cases like this...

Even though most would not fault you for it...In that court of law, you'd be under some scrutiny for that action...Regardless of the aftermath and condition of the criminal you took care of...

Its always (in real life) one of the most difficult decisions you will ever make...

[jbirds1210]

Stevie,
I agree that it is a tough decision.....who wants to sit back and watch what you have worked for go to the pawn shop for twenty bucks! One of the things that I love about this forum is that it allows the reader to partially make up his/her mind about what they are willing to do in a similar circumstance. We all have our collective experience to use in forming opinions! Nick, thanks again for sharing your unfortunate situation, but I think good has come from it! I wish that we could apply that good toward your deductible!
Jason

[ElGato]

I think the truck and anything in it would be theft, not burgulary, but still ok in the nighttime.