Lethal Self Defense, What Is Your Stance On This Issue?

[White Knight]

[color="#008000"][b][url="http://Indiana%20Father%20Kills%20Sex%20Offender%20Who%20Broke%20Into%20Home"]http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,429503,00.html[/url][/b][/color]

[color="#0000FF"][i][quote][b]INDIANAPOLIS — A convicted sex offender died Sunday during a struggle with a father who found the naked man in or near his 17-year-old daughter's bedroom, police said.

Police responding to a call from the city's northwest side about 3:20 a.m. found 64-year-old Robert McNally on the hallway floor with his arm around the neck of 52-year-old David T. Meyers, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police spokesman Sgt. Matthew Mount said Meyers had a heart condition and may have had a heart attack. An autopsy was planned.

Police said Meyers was naked except for a mask and latex gloves and had entered the home through a window near the girl's bedroom with rope, condoms and a knife. He was familiar with the home's layout because it belonged to a relative, police said.

The girl awoke and screamed when she saw the man in her room, police said. The father responded and struggled with the intruder while the girl's mother phoned 911.

Police did not anticipate any charges against McNally.

"If a person breaks into your home, you are justified in using deadly force in defending your family," said Mount. "In this situation, I don't think he was trying to kill him, he was trying to hold

Meyers had served 10 years in prison for criminal confinement and sexual deviate conduct and was wanted in Boone County for failure to register as a sex offender. He was registered as a sex offender in Marion County.

Police said Meyers lived with his mother and had recently lost his job.

The death is under investigation and will be reviewed by a Marion County prosecutor.

"Nobody wins," McNally told The Indianapolis Star. "It's a lose-lose situation for everybody. He has family also."

He said his daughter went to church Sunday after the incident.[/b][/quote][/i][/color]



So I hope most of us can agree that self defense is a good and honorable thing, especially if you have to protect yourself or others.

[size=4][color="#FF0000"][b]So what if you were to have someone break into your home, what personal methods would you use to stop the intruder? Post your comments and list why and what you would use to stop an intruder. Thanks. [/b][/color][/size]


[i][b][color="#FF0000"]My List in order would be.

1) Make sure everyone is alright, and call the police, using the lan line or a cell phone.
2) Not knowing how well armed the intruder may be, I'd arm myself immediately.
3) Stay in one place and wait for him/her to come to me before attacking. to legitimize SD claim
4) Depending on observation of the situtation within the moment, I'd use my best judgement on what form of self defense to take course on, if they weren't armed, I wouldn't kill them, wounding them would be more reasonable and to put your claims in favor that they were self defense, however, if this intruder were armed with a gun, I probally would do what would have to be done, and thats take the life, for the overall safey of myself or others within a house hold.[/color][/b][/i]


[size=4][b]So whats your list, what would you do? and be honest. lol.[/b][/size]

Edited September 30, 2008 by White Knight

[SpareTime]

I can say pretty confidently I don't think I would,or even could if I wanted to, take someone's life if they were only attacking me. If they attacked my children or another family member of mine, I can say more confidently that I would be willing to take it to lethal force IF NECESSARY.

[mommas_boy]

[quote name='White Knight' post='1666968' date='Sep 30 2008, 02:00 PM'][color="#008000"][b][url="http://Indiana%20Father%20Kills%20Sex%20Offender%20Who%20Broke%20Into%20Home"]http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,429503,00.html[/url][/b][/color]

[color="#0000FF"][i][/i][/color]



So I hope most of us can agree that self defense is a good and honorable thing, especially if you have to protect yourself or others.

[size=4][color="#FF0000"][b]So what if you were to have someone break into your home, what personal methods would you use to stop the intruder? Post your comments and list why and what you would use to stop an intruder. Thanks. [/b][/color][/size][/quote]

I had a similar issue as above on Friday. I detailed it in the teacher thread. Anyway, we were told in a training session that as teachers, we may not defend ourselves by using physical force. This obviously struck me as very odd.

I have to think on your question, though.

[cmotherofpirl]

I think you take whatever force neccessary to protect yourself and your family.

[Winchester]

Put myself in the best position to stop the intruder, using a firearm as the means.

[CatherineM]

If I found a naked, masked and gloved man in my teenage daughter's room in the middle of the night, I don't think I'd bother with a firearm. I'm capable of doing my own wet work.

[Lil Red]

[quote name='SpareTime' post='1666974' date='Sep 30 2008, 12:11 PM']I can say pretty confidently I don't think I would,or even could if I wanted to, take someone's life if they were only attacking me. If they attacked my children or another family member of mine, I can say more confidently that I would be willing to take it to lethal force IF NECESSARY.[/quote]
+J.M.J.+
i can say that i would do whatever it takes to protect my family - never underestimate a mother's instinct to protect her children. especially since i am pregnant, i would defend my life however necessary.

*side story* back in july of 2007, we were watching fireworks in a neighborhood park. some irresponsible kids (and their parents) were shooting off fireworks unsafely and they (the fireworks) were coming right towards our group. i had my (then) 5 month old baby and i was pissed. i don't even remember what i said, but i went over close to where they were at and screamed at them. it was instinctive because i felt my child's life was threatened. my relatives said they were honestly scared of me.

[Don John of Austria]

Shoot first, shoot last, shoot again. If any intruders are still up shoot them too. If there is a get away car in front of the house, well thats why I have a rifle, shoot that guy also. Give everyone a few minutes to bleed, then call 911.

[mommas_boy]

[quote name='mommas_boy' post='1666978' date='Sep 30 2008, 02:15 PM']I have to think on your question, though.[/quote]

OK. I figure I better answer the question lest I come off as wishy-washy on the issue.

I would of course use whatever means are necessary in order to neutralize the situation. If that be physical, and require my taking the life of the intruder, then by all means. I'm not sure how I would feel in the situation, or even if I would feel or think for that matter, but I know from prior experience that my fight-or-flight reflex is set to full-fight. I can remember in college pulling out my pocket knife one time and running to investigate when I heard a bunch of girls scream quite loudly -- the kind that doesn't sound like play (though it turned out to be just a couple of drunks).

I'm not sure if I want a gun in my house (actually, living in Chicago, handguns are illegal, but rifles on the other hand are not). I've thought about it quite a bit, considering that I live in a rough neighborhood. Yet, I haven't answered this question for myself at present. An unlocked, loaded gun, while very accesible in an emergency situation, also sounds very dangerous to me. Thus, I feel that if I were to own a gun for defense, I would leave it locked up and unloaded. But this doesn't sound very handy to me in an emergency. So, the conclusion that I've come to on the topic of guns for self-defense is that there isn't much of a point to them in terms of practicality and safety.

Baseball bats sound good, though. But then again, they lack the range of a gun, and thus generally lose to an agressor that has one in a head-to-head encounter.

Thoughts, anyone?

[Majella]

Anyone truing to harm my family, would have to go through me first!!
I am against violence, but it your duty to protect your family.
So in this case, I would say shoot the bas*****!

[Norseman82]

[quote name='mommas_boy' post='1667138' date='Sep 30 2008, 05:58 PM']Baseball bats sound good, though. But then again, they lack the range of a gun, and thus generally lose to an agressor that has one in a head-to-head encounter.

Thoughts, anyone? [/quote]

Hockey stick.

[Paddington]

[quote name='Don John of Austria' post='1667128' date='Sep 30 2008, 08:02 PM']Give everyone a few minutes to bleed,[/quote]

Huh?

[CatherineM]

[quote name='Norseman82' post='1667575' date='Oct 1 2008, 08:48 AM']Hockey stick.[/quote]

I took a self defense class for the disabled, and you would be shocked at what I can do with my metal forearm crutch, and up here, I have a set of ice spikes on it.

[T-Bone _]

[quote name='CatherineM' post='1667633' date='Oct 1 2008, 09:32 AM']I took a self defense class for the disabled, and you would be shocked at what I can do with my metal forearm crutch, and up here, I have a set of ice spikes on it.[/quote]

My best friend uses one of those. Even just goofing around, those things hurt...

[CatherineM]

[quote name='T-Bone _' post='1667661' date='Oct 1 2008, 11:03 AM']My best friend uses one of those. Even just goofing around, those things hurt...[/quote]

Yeah, if anyone messed with me, I'd grab the bottom, and use the whole thing like a nine iron. That would teach them to pick on a vulnerable, helpless cripple.