[muawiyah]

The people posting the "homeowner is always right" responses can quite regularly be counted on to do just that. At the same time only one of them has ever admitted putting up a fence at the lotline with a lockable gate. He "posts" the rest of his property with notices. Still I doubt he would just shoot some kid he found on his front porch.

The rest of them are clearly dangerous people. They leave the front appearance of their properties open and inviting just as if there were normal folks inside. We can imagine them cowaring behind their front doors, loaded firearm at the ready, just waiting to shoot the first person foolish enough to ever ring their doorbell.

They will plead self-defense as they are hauled away to the gurney for their last trip.

[Smokin' Joe]

The rest of them are clearly dangerous people. They leave the front appearance of their properties open and inviting just as if there were normal folks inside. We can imagine them cowaring behind their front doors, loaded firearm at the ready, just waiting to shoot the first person foolish enough to ever ring their doorbell.

First off, who is to say having a firearm in the home renders someone other than "normal people"? In my State, not having a firearm in your home is abnormal, if you consider the majority "normal". Here, building walls around your property is only an accumulator for snow drifts in the winter and a grand way to cut off any summer breezes. Better to be able to see what is going on and act appropriately than cower behind a wall and be surprised. Note also, we have some of the lowest rates of violent and property crime in the nation..

That said, If the homeowner stepped outside and shot the fleeing kid in the back, it is murder. There is no justification for shooting someone who has committed no violent act and is retreating.

Alternately, other factors (death threats from another source, for instance) nay have prompted the homeowner to respond inappropriately to a mere prank. If this can be shown in court, the homeowner may have a defense.

The most dangerous people in the world are simply scared. To try and point the finger one way or the other in the absence of the full picture is being a bit premature.

I regularly have teens show up on my doorstep, but then, I have a teenage granddaughter. Some of these guys (and girls) look pretty freaky by our generation's standards, but their eyes are clear, and under the trappings of a youthful search for identity are some bright, decent adults-to-be.

I don't come to the door with gun in hand (I have other items in reach which will give me time to upgrade if necessary). But if someone tries to break that door down, the picture changes significantly.

Mistakes were made on both sides here. The kid should not have been ringing this guy's doorbell, for one.. The guy should not have shot the kid, for another... The courts will have to sort it out from there. Damned shame for all involved.