Responsible Use of Lethal Force

A few weeks ago, I was talking to a guy, I’d hired to help me do some work around my place when he noticed my No Trespassing sign that was nailed to a nearby post. He turned the Coke to his mouth swallowing the last of its contents before throwing the empty can into the bed of his pick-up truck.
He then Turned toward me as he cleared his throat, and said; good thing you nailed that sign up down there, with all the thievery going on around here, now if you catch them on your property you can drop them in their tracks and they’ll be paid for because you have that sign up down there.
He continued with his legal advice; as long as you have a sign like that on your property you can shoot anyone that steps foot on your land and the law can’t do a thing.
I pulled my cap off and smiled as I wiped the sweat from my brow, really, I said. You know anyone, that’s put that to the test in court? I think you need to go talk to the district attorney about that, before you actually kill someone for trespassing and have to spend the next 35 years in Brushy…
Before I could finish, he started shaking his head in disagreement.
I spent the next ten minutes trying to convince him of his folly, but he would have none of it, stressing the fact his uncle who was a deputy sheriff back in the 1980′s told him so, so I had to be wrong…
Okay, some people just refuse to listen to logic or excerpt common sense and this guy was obviously guilty of both, but it proves that there are many misconceptions and a lot of bad advice out there when it comes to the responsible and legal use of lethal force.
Unfortunately, many survivalist also adhere to the same type of foolishness, when it comes to self-defense and especially the use of deadly force against another person.  If you own a gun for protection you owe it to yourself, your family and everyone around you to seek competent legal advice and to take the time needed to research the law’s regarding the use of deadly force in your state, county and city.
As gun owners we spend a lot of time learning how to shoot but little if any, learning when the use of deadly force is justified in the eyes of the judicial system. This is a big mistake and one that could result in you spending several years behind a fence topped with razor wire.
Fortunately, there are several DVD productions as well a books available to help you in this regard – below are four titles, that I recommend, for everyone owning a firearm for personal protection.
1. Armed Response Video Training Series - The Responsible Use Of Deadly Force with David Kenik and Ralph Mroz (excellent)
2. Armed Response Video Training Series – Shoot / No-Shoot Scenarios with David Kenik and Ralph Mroz (my highest recommendation)
3. After You Shoot: Your gun’s hot. The perp’s not. Now what? by Alan Korwin
4. In the Gravest Extreme: The Role of the Firearm in Personal Protection by Massad Ayoob