• FreeAdvice has a new Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, effective May 25, 2018.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our Terms of Service and use of cookies.

When to hold my fire?

Accident - Bankruptcy - Criminal Law / DUI - Business - Consumer - Employment - Family - Immigration - Real Estate - Tax - Traffic - Wills   Please click a topic or scroll down for more.

asdf

Member
I have a hypothetical question for you folks. While watching those cop shows I've seen where big groups of nervous thugs break into suspects' homes, brandishing guns, yelling, and otherwise causing a scene. Good TV, I'm sure, but I was wondering about the moral questions confronted by the occupants, expecially if they happened to have some kind of self-defence weapon handy. Now the occupants only know that some people are threating him, even though they might claim they are police, should they believe them? After all, actions speak larger than words. They just broke down someones' door, as proof of their violence. The occupants don't have actual proof that they are police, now do they?, just the intruders' claim, and you know how people lie. Should the police, in this circumstance, make prior arrangements as to prove that they are police, and avoid this kind of split second decision an occupant in this position would have to make. Self-defence is a proven legal strategy, but would it apply here?
 


LegalBeagle

Senior Member
asdf said:
I have a hypothetical question for you folks. While watching those cop shows I've seen where big groups of nervous thugs break into suspects' homes, brandishing guns, yelling, and otherwise causing a scene. Good TV, I'm sure, but I was wondering about the moral questions confronted by the occupants, expecially if they happened to have some kind of self-defence weapon handy. Now the occupants only know that some people are threating him, even though they might claim they are police, should they believe them? After all, actions speak larger than words. They just broke down someones' door, as proof of their violence. The occupants don't have actual proof that they are police, now do they?, just the intruders' claim, and you know how people lie. Should the police, in this circumstance, make prior arrangements as to prove that they are police, and avoid this kind of split second decision an occupant in this position would have to make. Self-defence is a proven legal strategy, but would it apply here?
If 10 'thugs' break down your door, then no weapon is going to save you. You may get one, you may get two.. but chances are you are about to receive 27 bullets that will not do a whole lot to the decor of your room.

Best thing to do is drop to the floor, curl up like a cat and start sobbing..

 
N

nuyuky

Guest
If I were the one whose door was broken down by "thugs", I would bust their balls and die trying. In reality, there are rules and procedures that they must follow. If all else fails, then they have legal right to bust that door down.
 

Find the Right Lawyer for Your Legal Issue!

Fast, Free, and Confidential
data-ad-format="auto">
Top