
Originally Posted by
Thorne
That seems insane! It's like giving criminals carte blanche to commit crimes, as long as they don't use a weapon!
At least here, in the US, any person who commits a felony is responsible for all outcomes during the commision of that felony. So if a criminal breaks into my home and I use reasonable force to stop him, any damages which he incurs are his own responsibility, since they occurred while he was committing the felony.
Even so, lore has it that, if you are going to shoot a criminal breaking into your home, make certain you kill him. You can always claim that he threatened the lives of your family. If he's dead it's hard for him to contradict you.
Perhaps not the most ringing endorsement of American law, but at least I don't have to fear being sent to prison for defending my person and/or property.