Home Defense: Not just for Guns

[AndytheAxe]

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryla ... 7961.story

I feel bad for the student, hopefully no charges will be pressed. I'm glad he did defend himself. For those of you who don't know Baltimore, Hopkins is surrounded by some bad neighborhoods.

[Rich]

Rice was charged with several weapons charges, but prosecutors dropped the case in Circuit Court in July 2008 after one of the officers -- who was deployed overseas with the military -- could not attend a court hearing, according to the state's attorney's office.

I wonder if the State's Attorney's Office in Maryland has heard of those new-fangled legal inventions called depositions?

[Precision]

the upside is, this time the goblin won't be getting a reprieve.

[Dub_James]

Snow Crash!

[mekender]

Due the the laws in MD, chances are that this kid will face charges. MD requires that you retreat from an attacker and since the story does not say that the guy was armed, it would be hard to prove that there was justification for lethal force.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryla ... 7961.story

Here is where it gets tricky in MD:

The student told police that he heard a commotion in the house and went downstairs armed with the sword, Guglielmi said. He saw the side door to the garage had been pried open and found a man inside, who lunged at the student. There was no indication that the suspected burglar was armed, however, according to Guglielmi.

By Tuesday afternoon, two pools of blood remained on the ground a few feet away from the door to the garage, which is not connected to the home.

You do have a legal right to defend yourself with lethal force against someone that is in your home and have no duty to retreat in MD. A detached garage is not the home and i am sure that will be the key here. Plus from the looks of the scene, the guy with the sword was standing near or outside the garage door meaning that he had an avenue of retreat available and didn't take it.

Now, the dead guy was a total scumbag and the world is better off without him. Unfortunately MD law is strict enough that the student will probably get prosecuted for this.

And people think I am crazy when I say I refuse to visit states and cities that deny me the ability to defend myself.

[Dedicated_Dad]

Radio discussion made it sound like the "severe abdominal lac" was closer to a cleaving from neck to navel. This was a good sword, and a good swordsman.

All that said, typical lib politics just about guarantees the kid will do time.

"Rich, privileged med student murders local choir boy"

DD

[mekender]

http://www.jhu.edu/news_info/reports/vi ... /safe.html

General Preventive Safety Measures:

Lock your car doors.

Keep the doors to your residence locked.

Avoid dangerous places (e.g., deserted parking lots, empty laundry rooms, badly lighted areas).

Take a course in self-defense.

Carry a whistle.

Keep emergency numbers near your telephone.

Be aware of your environment at all times.

Trust your instincts when you sense danger is near.

Know the locations of public telephones on routes you travel.

If friends joke about rape or pressuring others into sex, make sure they understand that their behavior only encourages the problem.

If you decide you would like to meet someone you've met in an on-line "chat room," bring a group of friends with you and meet during the day in a public place. Get references from the person, including work contacts, friends, and family. Do not keep an on-line interaction a secret. Keeping it out in the open means other people will be able to look out for you.

Never:

Hitchhike.

Open your door to strangers (such as repairmen and delivery persons) before confirming their identification. Call the company they purport to represent, or the Housing Office if you live in university housing.

Resist a rapist or robber at the cost of endangering your own life.

[randy]

Resist a rapist or robber at the cost of endangering your own life.

I would never do that. Now resisting at the cost of endangering their life...

As far as resisting rape, IIRC (will have to look when I get time) there was a study that showed that women that resisted rapists suffered fewer injuries than those that submitted.

Those that resisted using firearms suffered the fewest injuries. (big surprise I know).

[Lokidude]

Dead rapists have a 0% recidivism rate. They get whacked in the process of their chosen behavior, you'll see no tears from me.

[Windy Wilson]

It seems that the student walked, which is as it should be.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/200 ... -homicide/
The deceased burglar's sister, unsurprisingly, disagreed.
You could tell in the orginal article that the idea of someone defending oneself or of possessing a weapon for that purpose was an alien idea.