In my county at least (maybe my state, but not sure), you can kill someone in self defense if they pose a risk to life or property just by stepping over your property line.
I'm bored
have no friends or social life
and I loving LOVE these politics, just these in particular, nothing more
so here we loving go ♥
According to your profile, you reside in:
St Louis, Missouri
Let's begin with the basics, what we're discussing here is called a
Castle Doctrine. I'll spare the opinions and go straight to the copy-paste from wikipedia for the details:
A castle doctrine (also known as a castle law or a defense of habitation law) is a legal doctrine that designates a person's abode (or, in some states, any legally-occupied place [e.g., a vehicle or workplace]) as a place in which that person has certain protections and immunities permitting him or her, in certain circumstances, to use force (up to and including deadly force) to defend themselves against an intruder, free from legal responsibility/prosecution for the consequences of the force used.[1] Typically deadly force is considered justified, and a defense of justifiable homicide applicable, in cases "when the actor reasonably fears imminent peril of death or serious bodily harm to him or herself or another".[1] The doctrine is not a defined law that can be invoked, but a set of principles which is incorporated in some form in the law of many states.
Bold is important
italicized is good stuff
underline is like my holy grail of life
all three means if you miss it I'll skewer you and mount your head in my yard like an ADT sign. I ain't playin' here kiddies.
Now, if you
Would like to follow along like a sing-along, if you scroll down (anyone can follow this, I'm just doing Missouri in particular for XR) you can find your local state's castle doctrine. Here's yours XR!
Extends to any building, inhabitable structure, or conveyance of any kind, whether the building, inhabitable structure, or conveyance is temporary or permanent, mobile or immobile (e.g., a camper, RV or mobile home), which has a roof over it, including a tent, and is designed to be occupied by people lodging therein at night, whether the person is residing there temporarily, permanently or visiting (e.g., a hotel or motel), and any vehicle. The defense against civil suits is absolute and includes the award of attorney's fees, court costs, and all reasonable expenses incurred by the defendant in defense of any civil action brought by a plaintiff.
So basically you can protect your property, yourself, and all fees get covered provided you 'win' the trial.
But that's Wikipedia, we can't fully trust that, so instead we go to your state's actual laws
RIGHT HERE!!Now I'm not gonna quote this all like it's the bible
(hail satan) but I will quote this, because it's relevant and I can!
2. A person may not use deadly force upon another person under the circumstances specified in subsection 1 of this section unless:
(1) He or she reasonably believes that such deadly force is necessary to protect himself, or herself or her unborn child, or another against death, serious physical injury, or any forcible felony;
So to recap:
No, you cannot shoot a thief dead just because he stole your sunglasses and drivers license. That is unreasonable force, and would earn you some time in the county jail, possibly prison for murder charges. You CAN shoot him in the leg, pin him down and await cops and knee him in the balls for good measure. But no shooty-deathy stuff. That's a no-no.
