What reasonable force can be used to protect your home and property

[Zantar]

Do you live in Australia Myke, because it sounds like you are describing the US. I am referring to Australian laws. I have my doubts that it is possible for anyone who is not a cop in Australia to carry a concealed firearm legally.

[Lawson]

Now, what about not firing the gun? What if I hear someone smash through my slider door so I grab the 9mm firearm and a flashlight and attempt to call him out as if I were an officer who responded to the burglary while someone in my family calls the police? In my 1 story home, all the rooms are cluddered together and it is like 1 giant fatal funnel everyway around it, whether you are inside a room hiding or moving about the house. Here, burglary is a felony so I would think you had the legal right to make a citizens detention until police arrived

[Qld504]

Just on the legal situation here in Australia (well, Queensland anyway), if we enter your house for whatever reason (eg drug raid, domestic violence etc), or search your car etc, and there's a gun/rifle that isn't locked away, or that's loaded, or both, you'd probably get charged with 'Failing to secure weapon'. Guns can't be stored with ammo, and you can be pinched if they are. We are constantly amazed over here with the differences. It does make the scenario of quickly arming yourself somewhat difficult in such an event.

Is it true that the original thought behind, "The right to bear arms" was just an attempt to thwart the fashion police over the liking of short sleeved shirts !!!???

[Scruit]

I am not aware of any statute or law in Ohio that criminalises the unsafe storage of a weapon (anyone else know?) Of course you may be held civilly liable if your unsafe storage of the weapon is considered to be negligent (ie left out and loaded when you have young children who like to explore...)

When my son was born I started storing the ammunition (and the bolts of the bolt-action rifles) in the safe. I fabricated a metal rack bolted to the wall of the basement that holds my rifles and I need to use a key to remove then, and a seperate key/combination to access the ammo/bolts. My shotgun, however, is kept loaded and bolted to a special quick-release rack in my closet that I made and can access via a mechanical keypad loc. So, if I need the shotgun I can get it out of the rack and ready to go in under 2 seconds, but my kid cannot access it or get near the working parts. when he gets old enough to be able to remember and repeat the key combination I'll probably modify the rack to require a key also, I dunno. I've got a couple years before that time.

[Toeknee112]

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A 26-year-old Los Angeles man who prosecutors say shot at two thieves stealing his car, killing one of them, was charged on Wednesday with murder.

Yoon Ho Song could face 50 years to life in prison if he is convicted of the first degree murder of Mario Sandoval Martinez and a special allegation of using a handgun, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said.

Prosecutors say Song came out of his house to find two car thieves pushing his customized Honda out of his driveway in the predawn hours on Monday and opened fire, hitting Martinez, 25, in the back. The second suspect got away.

"The fact that your car is being stolen isn't a legal justification for killing somebody," Deputy District Attorney Frank Somes said. "Generally, you're not allowed to kill people unless they are committing a violent felony or you are acting in self defense."

Somes said police initially focused on Song as a crime victim but "essentially began questioning whether he was the victim or a suspect when they learned the person stealing the car had been shot in the back."

An attorney for Song, who was expected to make his first court appearance in the case as early as Wednesday, could not be reached for comment.

[Scruit]

We are discussing this topic in a thread on the Maxima.Org forums. I post under the same name there...