Homeowners should be able to shoot first.Byline: GUEST VIEWPOINT By Charles Porchia For The Register-Guard An editorial in the Aug. 17 Register-Guard opposed legislation in Florida and other states that allows people in their homes to use deadly force An amount of force that is likely to cause either serious bodily injury or death to another person. Police officers may use deadly force in specific circumstances when they are trying to enforce the law. against intruders without fear of prosecution, even if the intruder is killed. As a former deputy sheriff, I have seen the terror that people experience when facing a home intruder. It can affect them for years so that they never feel secure in their own homes. The Register-Guard contends that an unarmed intruder does not deserve the death penalty. Do the editors think that someone facing an intruder at 2 a.m. in a low-light situation is able to determine if the bad guy is armed or not? A ball-point pen ball-point pen n → bolígrafo ball-point pen n → penna a sfera is a weapon, kitchens have knives in them, and guns can be concealed. The editorial asks if the intruder's life is worth less than the property that might be stolen from your home. Are citizens supposed to be able to determine why someone is in their living room at 3 in the morning? Does an intruder want your TV set or your life? Should the homeowner ask the bad guy what his intentions are, so that he doesn't shoot an intruder who was only going to steal a videocassette recorder videocassette recorder (VCR), device that can record television programs or the images from a video camera on magnetic tape (see tape recorder); it can also play prerecorded tapes. ? If anyone should be concerned about the value of human life, it should be the crooks who earn a living breaking into people's homes. If they were that worried about it, wouldn't they get into a safer line of work? The Register-Guard believes that Florida's law gives citizens the right to be judge, jury and executioner EXECUTIONER. The name given to him who puts criminals to death, according to their sentence; a hangman. 2. In the United States, executions are so rare that there are no executioners by profession. . I've spoken to a number of people who read the editorial. They explain it in different ways, but it boils down to this: If they are confronted by someone who has broken into their house, as far as they are concerned the intruder already has waived the right to a judge and jury. One of them even said that justice wouldn't be meted out Adj. 1. meted out - given out in portions apportioned, dealt out, doled out, parceled out distributed - spread out or scattered about or divided up with the wimpy Wimpy sloppily dressed comic strip character; always “forgets” to pay for hamburgers. [Comics: “Popeye” in Horn, 657–658] See : Irresponsibility 9 mm Glock described in the editorial, but rather a .45 automatic. You could say that people just don't have a lot of tolerance for strangers being in their homes. At times, being armed and prepared still will not be enough to protect your family - such as when you don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. someone has entered your house, as was the case in the abduction Abduction Balfour, David expecting inheritance, kidnapped by uncle. [Br. Lit.: Kidnapped] Bertram, Henry kidnapped at age five; taken from Scotland. [Br. Lit. of Polly Klaas. Polly was kidnaped out of her bedroom in Petaluma, Calif., by Richard Allen Davis
I don't know Polly's father, but I think I know what his answer would be. The editorial quotes Paul Logli, head of the National District Attorneys Association, as saying Florida is giving more power to untrained ordinary citizens than the police. I can tell you crooks fear armed citizens more than the cops. The police will act with some degree of restraint. They have advantages over the average homeowner and options before having to resort to deadly force. They are trained and ready to act. If their regular shift is graveyard, they are wide awake at 2 a.m. and not getting out of bed to check noises in the hallway. They may have a second officer with them, or backup may be on the way. Their dispatcher Software that determines what pending tasks should be done next and assigns the available resources to accomplish it. It may execute other programs or generate a list for human operators to follow. See scheduler. knows where they are and what is the nature of the call they are on. They are likely to be wearing body armor Noun 1. body armor - armor that protects the wearer's whole body body armour, cataphract, coat of mail, suit of armor, suit of armour armet - a medieval helmet with a visor and a neck guard , and on their duty belt they can carry pepper spray and impact weapons, such as a side-handle baton. The are trained to give verbal commands - "verbal judo judo (j  `dō), sport of Japanese origin that makes use of the principles of jujitsu, a weaponless system of self-defense. ." Also, they can go "hands on" if necessary.
The police can be more detached from the situation because the man in the hallway is not standing outside their daughter's bedroom. Most importantly, an officer carries a radio and does not need to get past the intruder to use the phone in another room. So, should Florida give homeowners the right to use deadly force? If the cops could be everywhere they are needed at the moment they are needed, then the answer would be no. However, they can't; I've been there, and I know! The editorial seems oblivious and uncaring as to how desperate a situation can be. Things look a lot different in a darkened dark·en v. dark·ened, dark·en·ing, dark·ens v.tr. 1. a. To make dark or darker. b. To give a darker hue to. 2. To fill with sadness; make gloomy. 3. hallway compared to sitting in front of a computer in an office at The Register-Guard. If you would use a gun to protect your home and family, get some training. Know not only how to use a gun, know when to use it. It is always better if the police can handle it. However, a situation can go from bad to worse in seconds, and the police cannot respond in time. Be prepared, be alert, be certain that the intruder is, in fact, really an intruder, and use deadly force when there is absolutely no other option, and the law will be on your side (in Florida, at least). This will not be the case in Lane County if The Register-Guard has its way. Charles Porchia of Springfield is a retired deputy sheriff from northern Nevada. |
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