To think the 'stand your ground' law in America is horrendous.

[Loveweekends10]

I hope we never adopt that law which has led to an 8% increase in homicides in some American states.

NatashaBee but surely you're aware that if you have a gun you're much more likely to have it used on you than to use it in self defence?

The right to bear arms is part of the US constitution. My dads taught me to shoot when I was 10 years old. I had a license to carry from the time I turned 18, until I moved back. My father taught me to handle guns with respect, he also taught me to shoot to kill. He believed you should only handle a gun if you were prepared to use it. Certainly,if I met an intruder in my home, I would assume he was there to cause bodily harm to me and my family. He would have been shot in the head. He made his choice when he came uninvited into my home. My choice would be to protect my family with my gun.
YABU.

When my niece was 3 weeks old, their house in Fulham was broken into, he came in via the bedroom window, cut himself and dripped blood all over the cot, including around her face and mouth. It was terrible, at the time she came face to face with him and she screamed that he was bleeding on the baby and he laughed and said he was HIV positive. He lunged at her and she bit him, drawing blood. Luckily they have a panic button on their alarm system and he was scared off. She had to wait weeks and weeks for the all clear on the blood tests. They caught him straight away because his DNA was on the database. In court he laughed and jeered at her throughout.
The only good news was his bite wound became infected and he nearly lost his hand.
I will check but I think she would have killed him at some point in those seconds that felt like hours.

I am really shocked by all the people on this thread saying that burglars should be shot. I hate burglars with a passion, and would love to see each and every one of them locked up for a very long time, but to say they should be killed seems way over the top.

I have heard of several incidents where a person has believed there was a burglary about to happen, and it has turned out to be a drunk person who has wandered into the wrong house by mistake, is it OK to shoot them too?

Yes, if they are trespassing and you feel threatened, why not? I am not crazy about the drunk shaggers I used to have on my doorstep every night either. Or the pissed woman who did a shit on my car. I would point a gun at any of them and tell them to get off my land!

Shrug, if you don't want people to attack you for breaking into their home, then don't break into their home.

Why you have broken into their home is not actually their problem is it? Are you suggesting that a person who has the means to defend themselves wait until the intruder has actually hurt someone before they attack them?

Being drunk is not a defence in law, so I don't see how it could be a defence for breaking into someone's home.

Morloth, being drunk isn't an excuse for anything according to my oh. especially not buying a £150 electronic toothbrush from Amazon after a night out.

For 150 quid it had better be a magic toothbrush.

It hasn't arrived yet. from China.

Obviously the fact that Americans can posess guns and shoot burglars means they have a very low crime rate.

So we should shoot people for being drunk and stupid as well? I think I'd prefer to stick with letting a court decide on guilt rather than shoot first aan ask questions later. Luckily as I don't have a gun, it is not a situation I will ever be in. I am very glad of that!

I am just wondering exactly how some posters on here believe intruders should be treated? Like surprise guests to be offered a cuppa whilst they peruse Granny's silver? Do you smile at them and say " Well look here, mate, I believe I better see you to the door"? If any fucker has intentionally or purposefully come into my home I am going to get violent on his arse.

Eh? Who said America had a low crime rate?

Yes I have such faith in the British Justice system! What a load of bollocks.

And deep joy, a sceptismo face. The mark of an intelligent debate.

Perhaps Americans are prepared to accept a higher crime rate as a consequence of the right to bear arms.

British people are not, fair enough.

"What a load of bollocks."

"The mark of an intelligent debate."

The irony.

Yes I am so stupid I just don't know how I cope.

I agree, the justice system is far from perfect, but I prefer it to anarchy, clearly you feel differently!

I don't think anybody is saying here that burglars "should be shot". What most of us are saying is that we can't afford to check on their intentions nicely and find out whether or not they intend to just say hello, steal or kill us. No, they probably do not deserve to get shot, but my life and body integrity is too precious to me to take the risk NOT to shoot them.

The reality is that unless you have extensive and specialised police/military training, attempting to use a gun against intruders in the middle of the night is an incredibly stupid thing to do.

You cannot go from fast asleep to Bruce Willis in a matter of seconds. Alert intruders will make mincemeat of you. The gun will be taken from you and used against you. If homeowners are routinely armed, intruders will come prepared - which means they will be prepared to pre-emptively kill you and your family, not flee which could result in a bullet in the back for them.

And to this the fact you are far more likely to shoot your child going downstairs for a drink of water, or your brother-in-law stumbling in drunk to kip on your sofa, than a burglar, and this law is bloody ridiculous.

Lots of people like to think that their home in their castle and they'd turn into Rambo to protect. It's bullshit. It doesn't matter if you are a great shot and hunt for sport all the time. The overwhelming majority of people do not have the skill set to take on intruders in the middle of the night and incentivising burglars to kill you before you kill them is incredibly stupid.

SYG Law doesnt just relate to shooting though....it is any form of self defence....

So you will be lobbying for a change in the UK law then N0tinmylife?

'Final Consequences: The final consequences of a course may not be relevant to the issue as to whether the force used was reasonable. Although, the conduct of the suspect resulted in severe injuries to another or even death, this conduct may well have been reasonable in the circumstances.'

There is a defence available under UK law for killing someone in self defence.

You don't need to shoot a man dead to defend your home.

And I don't think guns should be allowed in the home. There's no need.

There is an element of anarchy now. The police rarely bother to do much about a burglary other than an insurance number. I do actually have faith that the justice system allows for self defence but what it doesn't allow for is when you have been subjected to 20 burglaries in a year, compete with racist grafitti and shit on the walls and finally lose your rag and point a gun at the bastards, any gun, a toy gun, it doesn't matter. Or even just beat them up. that is what's wrong, forget the guns for a minute.

Nothing in the UK allows people to "shoot first and ask questions later" which is what Trayvon's family argue in their political campaign Change For Trayvon.

I hadn't heard of the Trayvon case before this thread, but it makes chilling reading. That could be anyone's child.

The cases of shootings in the UK are generally gang/drug related and make headline news because they are so unusual - because the general population are not armed with guns.