Comment Re:Oh common.. (Score 1) 391
My main issue is, you're making these judgments about what is the smartest move based on perfect knowledge. If you set up the scenario, you already know the answer to what the wisest play in terms of personal safety is.
Sure, in a situation where the entire family sleeps in 1 room where you know for sure there is an intruder in the house, locking the door and calling the police is by far the smartest move for your own safety. I even said as much in one of my original responses.
What happens when your wife wakes you up at 2 AM because she heard a noise downstairs? Up until this point, your experience is that this has always been the shutters fluttering against the wind, or some other benign source. Do you lock the doors and call the police? Most people are likely to go check what the noise was because they are not omniscient. The may run into danger through no fault of their own. Yes, if my significant other asks me to check on a noise in another part of our home, it's always been benign, and yes, I've always been armed when doing so for as long as I can remember, because I was a Boy Scout and am always prepared. If I also heard the noise and was reasonably sure it was a burglar, there's no way I would have put myself at risk (and her at risk) by leaving the room. But if I ever do have a burglar break in, there's no way to know for sure whether I will know in advance whether it's a burglar or not.
What if you have a daughter in another bedroom? Do you lock the door and call the police? Or do you go get her and bring her back to the bedroom first?
We can both present an infinite number of hypothetical situations. In some, going around the house is reckless and likely will get one hurt or killed. In others, it is the necessary thing to do. The problem is, with the infinite variations, there are clear cut situations, and there are gray area situations. There are many situations where a reasonable person believes they are in far more danger than they actually are. Many of these situations occur when the person at home is sleeping, and has been startled. Do you have any idea what the massive adrenaline boost associated with fearing for one's life does to your motor reflex skills and you ability to think about complex problems? Do you have any experience with what happens when that is mixed with being awoken halfway through your sleep cycle?
We can sit here and armchair quarterback all we like, but the reality is we are second guessing the decision of a person who is defending his life and his family's life in a moment of great stress. Doing so while we sip a latte at Starbucks is hardly fair. This is why I'm glad these laws are in place, so I don't get judged by a jury of people who have no clue what being in a situation like that is like, and believe that everyone should have done what a person who has perfect knowledge and was not under duress would have done.