Enter at Your Own Risk

Wednesday, March 23, 2005

From the Tallahassee Democrat:

Floridians could shoot violent home intruders and carjackers under a bill that cleared a key hurdle in the Senate on Tuesday.

"Since the time of the Romans, a man's home has been his castle," said Sen. Durrell Peaden, R-Crestview. "There is a presumption that anyone who enters your home illegally is there to harm or kill you. ... You don't have to retreat if you're in fear for your life or fear great bodily harm."

With 83 sponsors in the House and 29 in the Senate, the bill (SB 436) is virtually guaranteed passage.

Uh-oh, someone looking to joyride could face a bullet in the teeth if they unluckily chose to carjack an armed civilian. A rapist looking for a little uninvited play could be put on his ass by a gun-toting mother before he even steps into the bedroom.

Not that I anticipate or look forward to ever having to use my 9mm or GLOCK .45 ACP for purposes other than target shooting, but it's comforting to know that if such an occasion arises I won't face criminal or civil charges for defending my friends and family.