And I don't think YOU get it. Let's stipulate that no innocent person can be harmed by the spring gun. Let's say we're in a country where all criminals speak chinese only, but innocent persons speak english. A sign outside in English warns about the spring trap. A chinese criminal goes into the empty building (trespassing, with criminal intent to steal). He is killed by the gun.
Legal? Moral? Permitted under Texas law? It IS a pure example of defense of property by lethal force.
Other examples offered by my detractors consistently blend self-defense into the scenario.
Well, is it moral? Is it permitted?
Here is what you don’t get: Spring traps are not the only example of lethal defense of property and only property. Shooting a fleeing thief in the back is another example, one which is legal at night in Texas even if the only purpose is to prevent him from getting away with your property. It is legal. Is it moral? That is up to the individual. I would not do it, but I am glad it is legal and I am glad others are willing to do it since it creates a deterrence.
The laws that exist in the real world are based on the circumstances of the real world. If we lived in a world where some sort of magical device can smite the guilty and spare the innocent with absolute reliability, the laws would be tailored accordingly.