I never said “under penalty” or “severe legal consequences.” It is a civil liability issue.
I once had a case where a 39 yr old son lived with his mom. He obviously had a serious mental problem. He asked one day and his mom went out and bought him a 9mm. He then went to the fence in the backyard, shot and killed the neighbor’s dog and then shot the neighbor. Luckily he was not a good shot and only hit him in the thigh.
The Mom was held civilly liable for gross negligence.
Gross negligence penalties and civil lawsuits can be severe. No?