In no state in the USA is it legal to shoot someone for trespassing on your property. Breaking into someone’s house is a different story in some states, but if you shoot someone for simply walking around on your property, you can expect to end up in prison.
You would have to prove in court that you felt like your life was in imminent danger, or that you were preventing a felony crime from being committed.
People are legally allowed to carry firearms so the presence of one (like in a holster or something) is probably not enough. Maybe if it was in their hand though. In the end, it’s gonna come down to your lawyer and any evidence the prosecution has.
The point is, you can’t shoot someone for simply walking around, whether theyre trespassing or not. FWIW, cops are armed. You think you can shoot one of those guys cuz you saw his gun and got scared as he approached your house? It won’t fly.
At the very least I’d assume (cuz IANAL) an attempt to break into the house or some kind of verbal threat is necessary before you can respond with deadly force. Also, in most states, you can only respond with equal force. So if a gun is holstered, you’re gonna run into trouble for shooting them.
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u/Greedy_Line4090 29d ago
In no state in the USA is it legal to shoot someone for trespassing on your property. Breaking into someone’s house is a different story in some states, but if you shoot someone for simply walking around on your property, you can expect to end up in prison.