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RPBrown wrote:I have already posted my answer but I need to add to that. I am fortunate enough to be able to afford legal assistance if I ever had to shoot someone and again would only do so if myself or my family were in danger.

The aspect that I have not seen here is the mental factor. Could you live with yourself for killing a 14 year old kid for stealing your hubcaps or a piece of yard art. I don't think I could. There are grown men that have come back from almost every war we have been in that are having mental anguish over someone they had to kill, even though they were defending themselves. I know a couple of LEO's that have had to shoot someone in the line of duty and they had a hard time dealing with it. It is a traumatic experience to kill someone, even if it is justified. There are some that it does not affect, but I would offer to say those people are not "programmed" the way most of us are.

But, as a father and a grandfather, don't put my family in harms way or you will not like the outcome.

Otto wrote:What's scary is that the 5 largest cities in Texas are liberal.....Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, El Paso and of course Austin all voted for Obama.
Demographics plays a huge part when it comes to defending your rights against a rabid district attorney and a gun hating jury.
If you want to shoot someone without impunity...become a cop.

jmra wrote:Looks like this is winding down so I thought I would wrap up my thoughts.
Let me start by saying that I realize some of you were not comfortable with the elimination of a threat to safety from the senecio. I get that. I realize in real life people that are willing to steal must be viewed as a potential source of violence.
So, why remove violence from the equation? I did so because I believe that the vast majority of the members here are united in the belief that the safety of our family and our person is paramount and that we all would take the necessary steps to ensure that safety is not compromised. I don't believe that "Would you use deadly force to protect yourself or your family?" ever needs to be asked in a poll on this forum.
The results:
It's obvious that there are several lines of thought and factors in use of deadly force:
1. There is no doubt that many strongly consider the moral aspects of life vs property. It appears many do not believe that "things" (especially those of small monetary or sentimental value) are worth taking a life. There are others that believe very differently. I would use the term "eye for an eye" but I don't believe that applies here because the response to action seems to be much greater than an "eye for an eye".
2. The other line of thought appears to be the "Consequence" factor. I may be within my legal rights but what does it cost me in the long run? When considering my livelihood and the financial well being of my family, this is a great concern for me personally. My issue here is the "Law" and the "Courts" too often seem not to be on the same page. We have all seen cases that we felt never should have gone to trial end with the accused either in bankruptcy or even in an appeals court fighting for their freedom. Some would argue that using this as the basis of my decision to defend or not defend property makes me a victim before I'm ever a victim. My response is very simple, i prefer to limit my exposure to risk. I would much rather report a stolen can of gas to the police with a description of the guy who took it with the hope that he is caught than to spend a $100k defending myself in court (criminal or civil) for shooting him.
3. The final factor and one that is also a concern for me is compromising your own safety to protect property. My family needs me and I will not remove myself from a position of safety to a vulnerable position simply to protect property.

I understand that every situation is different and it is hard to know exactly how we will react until we are knee deep into the situation. I have enjoyed this exercise and do believe that discussing these issues helps each of us plan and evaluate how we will prepare for such events.

Thank you for participating.