TexasCHLforum.com

WildBill wrote:

txinvestigator wrote:You guys who are so ready to shoot someone need to sit and talk to a few people who have. The financial, emotional and psychological impacts on you AND your family are not minor nor a joke. A realize that everybody wants to be a tough guy, but there seriously needs some thought put into these types of statements.

I couldn't agree more with TXI's statement. Those of you unlucky enough to get caught up in the criminal justice system will slowly get ground up and spit out. If you are arrested, even if you are completely innocent, you will become involved in an all-consuming ordeal that will drain you emotionally, adversely effect your health, deplete your savings, strain your family relationships and cause problems at work or school. The whole thing can drag on for years - it's not like a TV show where it all gets wrapped up at the end of the hour. Please, do everything in your power to avoid having to go through it.

Enough, now off of my soapbox.

with WildBill and TXI. Even a justifed shooting over property alone isn't worth weeks / months / years of my life fighting the legal system, the financial cost, the emotional cost. Even if the shooter can 'handle it' what about the shooters spouse and kids? It's a practical matter to me. Plus, even some shootings, even though legally justified aren't morally so in my view. According to the law as I understand it, criminal mischief at night (say egging a car or stealing a bicycle??) would legally justify deadly force. There is no way that deadly force is morally justifed however. IMHO.

Hoss4570,

Even though we disagree on whether or not to shoot, I am sorry for your loss. I don't want to get too caught up in the discussion as a 'hypothetical what if' scenario to forget that there were scum who did you wrong and cost you significant financial loss. Not just the loss of the tools and that replacement cost, but the loss of use of the tools to earn a living in the mean time.

I do hope the equipment is found soon and those responsible for it's theft apprehended. All my disagreement is my opinion of what is right for me, we don't have to agree on that to agree that there is evil in the world and hope they are appropriately punished.

Best Regards,

Gary

Molon_labe wrote:Hey GrillKing

Most people cant afford the premiums for 100% coverage

Most people can't afford the expense of a protracted trial, civil judgement or the loss of income while they are in prison. Not saying it would happen, just for me, I choose differently.

Molon_labe wrote:insurance will NEVER get back the feeling security or replace the feeling of violation you get when some scumball decides he wants what you earned and is your enough to take it from you

Shooting someone over property wouldn't give me satisfaction either. I would be glad my family and myself is safe.


We obviously disagree, and it seems the majority disagrees with me, but that is my opinion and I am sticking to it. Do what you think is right and what you can live with, within the confines of the law. I have no problem with that as long as you keep it legal.

Keep in mind the original question: Would you shoot? My answer: No

Cipher wrote:If you break into my home, or try to steal something from my property I will shoot.

Breaking into my home while I am there and stealing from my property (outside) are two different things. One is a likely / potential assualt on me or my family, the other is not.

Yes, you may be justified in deadly force for the theft of property only, I just say for ME, it isn't worth it.

I will agree on this, if more people were shot at while stealing, the crime rate, at least for burglary, would go down.....

hoss4570 wrote:I'm gonna take a guess that you don't work with tools or with your hands. I mean for a job, not some hobbiest, but work and build stuff for a living. And even if you do you must be richer than me because this welder and those tools ment years of hard, hot, back breaking labor to me and if I had of caught them I would have killed them. They had NO RIGHT to be on my property, they had NO RIGHT stealing my stuff. Wish I could have your pollyanna attitude (no I don't) , but I live in the real world.

Hoss4570,

No I don't work with my hands, but assume it's my car they are stealing which is a big ticket item for me and I do need to get to/from work, the same applies: that's what insurance is for. I simply stated my opinion, that it isn't worth the emotional duress and hassle that I would go through. There could be huge expenses, not covered by insurance, for legal fees or civil judgements related to a deadly force shooting over property, perhaps more than the car (or tools) are worth. Maybe, maybe not.

I'd rather have and rely on good insurance to protect my property and save deadly force to protect my family's or my life. Any use of deadly force to defend property only, even if justified under the law, would change my life and not for the better.

Also, your statment that you would "kill them" puts you on thin ice under Texas law if were to actually do so. Deadly force sometimes results in death, but death is not the end goal.

I don't think I am foolishly optimistic (pollyanna), but simply saying my peace and well being is more important to me than any property that can be easily replaced. If I am possible going to spend 10s of thousands of dollars or more to defend myself in court or to pay a civil judgement, it will be because I defended my kids, my wife, myself, and not my car.

BTW, I am not rich and I DO live in the real world....

I would never shoot over property unless my life or that of a loved one is in danger. If they are driving off with my trailor, it's theirs.

That's why I pay my insurance company a gazillion dollers a year.....

The emotional duress, probable loss of sleep (for more than 1 night), possible legal costs, etc., just aren't worth it to me for property alone.

If you are a threat of serious harm or worse to me or my family, it's a different story.