Can a person shoot a burglar of an occupied residence? Should a person shoot a burglar? How does one know when it is appropriate to display or use a firearm in crime prevention?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

All states have criminal statutes that also include justifications for use of force. Citizens can find the statutes of the state in which they live by searching the internet and entering the state and the word "laws," or "statutes," or "codes." Any of these words would work to bring up the laws of that state. Once in the statute section, one would just need to search the titles of the chapters for the criminal laws and then search for justifications. Many states have adopted the Castle Doctrine, Stand Your Ground Laws, or a variation of both. The justifications spell out when a citizen would be justified to use physical force or deadly force. An example of a burglary situation where a citizen would be justified to use a weapon is in Arizona. Arizona adopted the Castle Doctrine in 2006, which amended some of the justifications and added a few more. In Arizona A person is presumed to be justified in using force or deadly force if he/she reasonably believes they or another are in imminent peril and the attacker has entered or is trying to enter a residence or occupied auto. A person is generally presumed to be justified in use of force if the attacker has unlawfully forced his way into residence or car or is trying to do so (with certain exceptions, such as if the person forcing in had a legal right to be in there). Almost all states have similar laws as Arizona, with a few variations.