Called my son this morning to wish him a Happy Birthday and he told me about a classmate of his in Houston.

Seems Tony was the victim of a "home invasion". He was cooking dinner with his three kids (9-7-5) when a guy kicked in his front door and attacked him.

But, bless his heart, he fought back and beat the devil out of the guy. His three boys got in on the beating - kicking and hitting the guy after Daddy got him down on the floor. The bad guy ended up in the hospital with some "severe" injuries and Tony only had some minor injuries, including a black eye.

This happened at 5 in the afternoon in an upper class neighborhood and the bad guy was black and on drugs (pcp according to the news). The police are hailing Tony as a hero for protecting his home and family, but now I wondering if he's going to be made into a villain because he didn't try to "reason" with the guy who came in to do harm to him and his family.

I'm just saying prayers of thanks that Tony is ok and his family is safe and that the bad guy is in jail. But I'm also thinking of Ferguson and all the hullaballoo there. 

Barb,

Texas law very specifically allows you to use deadly force to protect life or Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or If someone kicks your door/window in, there is no question what happens next. The bad guy dies without punitive repercussions.

Quite specifically, Rick Perry reaffirmed in 2007, that a person in their own home (car/RV/boat) DOES NOT have to back down or try to escape. If you are in a location that you are legally authorized to be, and some attacks you - you are free to use deadly force without prosecution.

Seriously - in Texas you can legally shoot a burglar in the back as he runs away with your property - if that is the only reasonable way that you have to recover your property. AND you can't get sued in civil court by an assailant that you shot and was convicted.

Around here, the attitude is: "Well, it's sad that he got shot and died, but if he hadn't been there, doing that in the first place - he would still be alive."

Ask me if I like the laws in my adopted state where common sense applies in violent crimes

Marc

Home invasions in Perth are on the rise, theirs  normally
More than one involed, the home owner  ends up
severley  beaten in hospital, whilst they joy ride in
his nice new car before burning it, if they get caught
all the do gooders step  in, and they finish up  getting
a slap on the wrist, and like Maz said you need to be
very careful when it comes down to protecting your
own property or you could find yourself on the wrong
side of the law.

They say, "Law is an ass" so true.

Well said, Marc.

Hoppy wrote on Sep 13^th, 2014 at 11:45pm:

Because we've let them by our actions.....or inactions as the case may be.

Wisconsin laws improved for the better about two years ago, but still not as good as the Texas law. At least victims forced to defend themselves here do not have to prove they first tried to run away. Individual safety and the right to self-defense in this country will improve when main stream media stops promoting idiocy, like the three suggestions recently spewed on NBC--use your key fob, wasp spray, or be nice to your attacker. Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or
Stories like that one are ignorant and dangerous. Guns and dogs are predictably left out of the suggestions. As I age, I am no longer as fast or as strong as I once was. Having a dog, a gun, and frequent training and practice certainly has helped to level the playing field.

Its a sad world we live in !
I remember 20 odd year ago, when I was "fearless" I came home late and parked out on the road, as I was heading off to footy training once I got changed, ( had gates on the front of the drive way) started up the side of the house and caught something out of the side of my eye, someone sneaking up the other side of the house !  I raced around the back of the house and slipped in behind the bush against the house, and waited, sure enough a shadow appeared walking right passed me, I reacted in almost a panicked type state, as my wife and two young kids were home alone, so I stiff armed him, catching him just below the chin, he ended up flat on his back, which I quickly jumped on him pinning him down,  I called to my wife, who was shocked that I was even home, she rang the police, it was about 5 minutes before they showed up, in the mean time, I'd dragged this bloke around to the front of the house, with a sort of a head lock, he was trying to get away, and everytime I relaxed my hold, he would throw an upper cut, which after copping about 3 or 4 of them, I got real annoyed and drove my knee hard into his side !, I knew ide broken his ribs, but that settled him down until the police arrived.  Well, long story, sorry, but when the police arrived and I released him, he turned out to be a 14 year old, big for his age, probably 5'10, and he wasn't in good condition, to say the least, his mother turned up 15 minutes later, they just lived 2 blocks down, and she was not happy at the treatment he received. At the front of our place they found a bag, full of goodies from his nights work of burglaries. I was almost embarrassed at what I had done, the force I used, he was just 14 years old !  he ended up with a couple of broken ribs, and a few bruises, police took him away, his mother pursued criminal charges against me !    I was numb !!  I could have killed this young bloke,  but, would I do it again, hell yes, it was dark and I couldn't see the age of the bloke on my property at the time, but my wife and kids are more important to me than the well being of an adolescent criminal kid.   I did a lot of shooting back in those days, I had 2 or 3 shotguns in the house,  would I have loaded them had I have been at home and seen someone lurking, waiting for the police ?
don't know,  if pushed, yep  and the laws of the country would have meant I would have done some jail time !
  cops told me, next time, don't leave any bruises !!!!   LOL
  well, I was young and a lot bigger, but I wouldn't have wanted to have been someone older or frail, cause this kid was a lump of a boy ! 
Got two loud dogs now, that seems to work as a deterent,
If guns were legal here, with the Texas laws, I can see how the adrenalin could take over in the heat of the moment. 
col
 

I have guns and a tractor to dig a hole ! need I say more ?