If I hadn't read the posts here I wouldn't have known that both Horn and the dead perps were all on Horn's property. That makes two good legal decisions lately.
Posted on 06/30/2008 5:14:58 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
A Texas man who shot and killed two men he believed to be burglarizing his neighbor's home won't be going to trial. A grand jury today failed to indict Joe Horn, a 61-year-old computer technician who lives in an affluent subdivision in Pasadena, Texas.In the Lone Star state, where the six-gun tamed the frontier, shooting bad guys is a time-honored tradition, and Horn's case centered on a Texas state law based on the old idea that "a man's home is his castle." The "castle law" gives Texans unprecedented legal authority to use deadly force in their homes, vehicles and workplaces. And no longer do they have an obligation to retreat, if possible, before they shoot.
"I understand the concerns of some in the community regarding Mr. Horn's conduct," Harris County District Attorney Kenneth Magidson told reporters at the courthouse. "The use of deadly force is carefully limited in Texas law to certain circumstances. ... In this case, however, the grand jury concluded that Mr. Horn use of deadly force did not rise to a criminal offense."
Horn called 911 in November to report a burglary in broad daylight at the house next door.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
If I hadn't read the posts here I wouldn't have known that both Horn and the dead perps were all on Horn's property. That makes two good legal decisions lately.
Texas is awesome. A man can actually defend friends and family and criminals face the consequences of their actions.
For the RINO-lovers, pacifistic weinies, anti-gun/self-defense goofballs, and self-described legal “expert” Freepers out there who said this man was wrong for doing what he did and/or that he was going to be convicted, I/WE hate (NOT!) to tell you - WE TOLD YOU SO!
Hell yeah!
Joe Horn deserves a “Neighbor Of The Year” award!
In FL it doesn’t matter where the body is anymore. They’ve extended the law to include nay part of your property, not just indoors- and they’ve even gone farther. The right to defend yourself and/or others now includes “any place you have a right to be” or something to that effect.
FL has passed some good laws in recent years.
from: http://www.gunlaws.com/FloridaCastleDoctrine.htm
The Florida “Castle Doctrine” law basically does three things:
One: It establishes, in law, the presumption that a criminal who forcibly enters or intrudes into your home or occupied vehicle is there to cause death or great bodily harm, therefore a person may use any manner of force, including deadly force, against that person.
Two: It removes the “duty to retreat” if you are attacked in any place you have a right to be. You no longer have to turn your back on a criminal and try to run when attacked. Instead, you may stand your ground and fight back, meeting force with force, including deadly force, if you reasonably believe it is necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm to yourself or others. [This is an American right repeatedly recognized in Supreme Court gun cases.]
Three: It provides that persons using force authorized by law shall not be prosecuted for using such force.
It also prohibits criminals and their families from suing victims for injuring or killing the criminals who have attacked them.
In short, it gives rights back to law-abiding people and forces judges and prosecutors who are prone to coddling criminals to instead focus on protecting victims.
If those loads of shot went all the way through, the exit wounds would be particularly gruesome.
I was unaware that Florida had these laws. I’m glad to hear of it. Good for the citizens of Florida...
Isn’t it strange how one state can get it, and other states like California have a full-time legislature that spends little time on anything other than gun and ammunition control?
I’d say the solution to not getting shot would be to not burglarize someone’s home.
Silly me, sounds too simple, doesn’t it?
Obviously ABC...has forgotten what "tamed" the British.
Unbelievable, the media idiot believe not being forced to retreat first in your own home or defending your own life or property is unprecidented authority.
Idiots.
It sure is.
The 911 dispatcher warned Horn to stay inside at least a dozen separate times, telling him, "An officer is coming out there. I don't want you to go outside that house."
Someone needs to give the 911 operators a crash course: you are not police officers and you are NOT in charge when you are on the phone.
See post #38...
It doesn't matter what a person's motives are if their acts are lawful. Horn acted lawfully when he shot the perps.
“In the Lone Star state, where the six-gun tamed the frontier, shooting bad guys is a time-honored tradition...”
Could there be anymore subtlety in their amaturish prose here...
“Yeah, let’s turn this into something it is not...”
What a bunch of maroonz!
Josey Wales: To hell with them fellas. Buzzards gotta eat, same as worms.
“Eric Zorn your neighbor?”
Well, his mindset is.
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