TexasCHLforum.com

Voonman wrote:A gun safe is a very good thing..But common sense would tell you that you should not let anybody know you have guns in your house..its too much unwanted attention on your behalf...Also in self defense as far as the law is concerned..your best bet would be to retreat and call 911 for any domestic issues, especially violent ones..

A: "common sense" is a subjective term and cannot be broadly applied to simply infer a general idea. And as far as the law is concerned your are more likely to be held less liable or are at least viewed better upon legally if there is a clear unmitigated verbal or written/posted warning declaring that you will perceive any intrusion as a definite threat to either life or property. Its very simple case law. Why do think that military operations post warning signs against trespass. Or why retail chains post shoplifting signs. The public entities are subject to the same laws of due process as we are. They know that if something were to go to trial they would have evidence that the offender intentionally committed a crime even knowing the consequences. That’s not to say its fool proof. It does however decrease a large amount of legalistic wiggle room. And as far as drawing attention to your home, if a bad guy contemplates breaking into your home to steal a gun he almost certainly won't try anything while there is occupation, regardless of day or night time. And if you have a safe and I'm talking about a good, bolted down somewhere, would take a month to crack, decent safe then there is little to no worry of having your guns stolen. Besides anybody who has had any real honest exposure to these seedy types would know that for the most part these people aren't all that into hard work. They are lazy, rotten, selfish beings of ill repute with entitlement issues. They aren't gonna risk their butts for what you might have when they know there is an easier mark down the street. It’s like having a big Doberman guard dog sign on your gate. Or posting an alarm system sign in your yard.They don't know for sure what’s on the other side of the fence or within the walls; it’s just too risky to try something for an unknown payoff. If by some odd chance you happen to get picked by that 1 in a million guy who is willing to risk it and they bust into your home and can't get the guns because you secured them; but make off with the TV or stereo, well that’s what home owners or renters insurance is for. But the chances of that are ridiculously remote.

And B: Unless you live alone the retreat option really isn't one. If you've got a wife, a kid or 2, and don't forget about Rover; how are you supposed to "retreat" going room to room half asleep in the middle of the night with family in-tow all the while not knowing what the intruder is going to do or even possibly not knowing exactly where he's at. Unless you're one of those blessed people that have one of those "so big you could get lost" mansion type homes, the odds aren't very good. Remember we live in Texas, the greatest "do it yourself" state in the nation. It is highly unlikely that your gonna have legal issue for protecting yourself, authorized occupants, and property against an unwanted intruder of which whose intentions you can't confirm until after the fact. If an intruder has been given prior warning that there unauthorized presence on the premises is considered to be threatening then you've done your retreating. At worst and more likely you would see civil repercussions. Cops do it all the time. They issue a warning to whoever poses a potential threat and if there is persistence the officer executes the proper measures required to maintain control of the situation in that current circumstance.

To sum up, there is no real legal issue with posting such a sign. If it is taken seriously then it is feared and doing its job. And as for possible burglary, posting the sign doesn't really make you anymore of a target than the next guy if anything the opposite.

Voonman wrote:Castle Doctrine Law Works in some Cases but not all..If you and your spouse or anyone living with you have a Domestic Dispute or they chase you down with an Axe...You will have to retreat then call 911..If you use Deadly force...You will be prosecuted and sent to Jail...It only protects you from foreign intruders...About the Sign..I think its cool and could possibly work in either in favour of you or turn out to be something really bad...The good side of it is that intruders are forewarned before they decide to make that grave decision...But the negative side as i read from previous posts its not good to let the public know that you have guns in your house..just because it can lead to potential crackheads breaking in and trying to steal them and at the same time harming your family and putting you at greater risk..So you have to weigh your options

Isn't that called just plain old selfdefense, no "castle law" needed .......


And isn't that what a gunsafe is for .........

PUCKER wrote:Would you or would you not post this sign in your yard, on your front door, fence, gate, window, etc?

What, if any, legal ramifications would there be if you did shoot someone that you were justified in shooting (to stop, of course)? The Castle Law took away any ramifications from what I understand, or am I grossly ignorant/misinformed?

I look at it this way - if you had the sign and had to shoot, the perp was warned of the repercussions of bad actions. I also remember hearing about folks who got in trouble for posting "Beware of Dog" signs when their dog bit someone (at the homeowner's property), it seemed the lawyers made a case out of it like this: "well, the homeowner knew the dog was vicious....and didn't do anything about it..." Don't have any case law/legal cites for it though. Regarding the below sign, I don't see it as best to advertise that you have firearms, but I think in Texas (especially) you pretty much have to assume that every home has at LEAST one firearm, although I do know some folks who DON'T have any. This should make for a good discussion/poll.



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I would post that sign or 1 like it. I think I can say with a fair amount of certainty that I wouldn't fire on an intruder unless I felt that there was an imediate or impending threat of either death or bodily harm to myself or those in my home(not just family). But I don't see the harm in letting a potential intruder stew on wether or not its worth risking his life. I recognize that some might see this as an advertisement of firearms in the homes. But to me its little different than folks who post fake security alarms on their property. Nobody is gonna know for sure unless they try it out. At that point I believe there is an extra step to the thought proccess when faced with the possability of getting shot. Even if they see it as a potential mark they would have to consider the fact that someone who advertises that they ahev guns in the home, would likey have good security for said guns when they aren't home.

I may be in the minority on this but that's how I see it.