Outdoor News / March 2012 / Is it really about the Castle Doctrine?

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Is it really about the Castle Doctrine?

It reminds me of the campfire game where someone tells a secret to the person next to them and they repeat it to the person next to them and it goes around the circle to the last person who repeats it. Nine times out of ten it doesn't resemble what the original statement was at all. Such is the case of the Florida shooting that has brought critics as well as apologists to the forefront to discuss the Castle Doctrine and how it factored into the saga that is still unraveling.

I suspect this story will change some more as the facts become clear and it gets passed further around the campfire, but I don't really care how this situation washes out. What bugs the heck out of me is that states that passed the Castle Doctrine are going to be questioning whether they made the right decision. In an election year this could be a big piece of someone's campaign.

The Castle Doctrine gives a person the ability to defend themselves against another individual who is threatening great bodily harm or death whether it be in the home, boat, tent or back yard. If your life is being threatened you can use lethal force and not worry about a penalty. But why would we need such a law; can't we defend ourselves in a situation like this without repercussion? The answer is no. Too often someone will defend themselves outside their home and risk potential prosecution. I recall a situation in Minneapolis when a person was beaten by two men as he was exiting his vehicle. As he was falling to the ground he pulled a pistol and shot one of his assailants. Both of them ran off, but one was hit. Editorials for the next two weeks were calling for this man's scalp. I'm surprised to this day that he wasn't at least arrested and tried for discharging a firearm in the city limits to appease all those progressive gun haters who wanted to lock him up and throw away the key.

There are many examples on both sides of the fence as far as individuals using firearms to protect themselves and some end with the shooter exonerated, some do not. With the Castle Doctrine there is no question about what rights a victim has. If their life is threatened they have the right to defend themselves, anytime, anywhere, with no repercussions. There are times when this freedom will be questioned because of a situation that happens like the maniacal craziness that has been spawned by the Florida incident, but we must always look past the hyperbole and realize that if we don't have the ability to protect ourselves and our family members without fear of prosecution then we cannot claim we live in the land of the free and the home of the brave.