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My personal philosophy, unencumbered by whatever laws happen to be in vogue, is that if you break into my house, or try to steal from me, you give up your right not to be killed. I'm not saying I would automatically try to kill the perp, but I wouldn't try to avoid doing it if it seemed I was in any danger, either. All of my efforts would be geared toward minimizing the risk to me.
If that meant running away, fine. If it meant cutting the other person's throat, that would be fine, too.
I'm told "I felt threatened" is the proper line to use. I doubt that I would say jack shit without an attorney's advice, though.
As a corollary, if I were ever on a jury that tried a person who defended his life or property, there would not be a conviction. I don't care WHAT the judge's instructions might be.
Yes, I feel strongly about this subject. Maybe now is the time for a thread on jury nullification.
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