using deadly force to defend generator
- Thread starter WhyMe
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In New York, deadly force for a property crime will land you in jail. You'd be better off buying the thief his own generator and fuel for it.
Just to give others an idea of the foolishness that is WA state, we have four inches on the ground where I am and the governor has just declared a state of emergency.
Things really go to pot here even with a light dusting of snow. I do expect 5-8 inches but I've seen much much worse.
Things really go to pot here even with a light dusting of snow. I do expect 5-8 inches but I've seen much much worse.
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I would not use deadly force to protect a generator.
Of course not. You are in the peoples republic of NY. You could in other states. But I wouldn't anyway. You would be sued and it only takes 7 jurists to convict.
Chain it up...seriously.
I would not use deadly force to protect a generator.
Of course not. You are in the peoples republic of NY. You could in other states. But I wouldn't anyway. You would be sued and it only takes 7 jurists to convict.
Chain it up...seriously.
Originally Posted by UberArchetype
Originally Posted by WhyMe
i said be prepared to use deadly force .
Definitely the dumbest thing I've heard all week. Spelling and punctuation confirms.
Agreed, has too much time on his hands to be worried over such nonsense.
My mom has lost her wallet at least 5 times and got it back fully intact every time.
My doors have always been unlocked and never lost a thing.
Life is too short to live in fear
Originally Posted by WhyMe
i said be prepared to use deadly force .
Definitely the dumbest thing I've heard all week. Spelling and punctuation confirms.
Agreed, has too much time on his hands to be worried over such nonsense.
My mom has lost her wallet at least 5 times and got it back fully intact every time.
My doors have always been unlocked and never lost a thing.
Life is too short to live in fear
Originally Posted by Al
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I would not use deadly force to protect a generator.
Of course not. You are in the peoples republic of NY. You could in other states. But I wouldn't anyway. You would be sued and it only takes 7 jurists to convict.
Chain it up...seriously.
Which states, Al?
Maybe you can leave valuable things in your yard as an excuse to shoot people, in Pennsylvania? I mean, should we kill people that steal Amazon packages? Maybe. But what happens when old man big-internet-balls accidentally sends bullets into his neighbors houses or God forbid kills a kid unintentionally when spraying the neighborhood with well intentioned, crime-fighting lead?
But yeah, chain your generator up FFS...
Quote
I would not use deadly force to protect a generator.
Of course not. You are in the peoples republic of NY. You could in other states. But I wouldn't anyway. You would be sued and it only takes 7 jurists to convict.
Chain it up...seriously.
Which states, Al?
Maybe you can leave valuable things in your yard as an excuse to shoot people, in Pennsylvania? I mean, should we kill people that steal Amazon packages? Maybe. But what happens when old man big-internet-balls accidentally sends bullets into his neighbors houses or God forbid kills a kid unintentionally when spraying the neighborhood with well intentioned, crime-fighting lead?
But yeah, chain your generator up FFS...
Learn the laws in your state. I wouldn't shoot them for just stealing it but I have and would again, confront them armed. You have every right to retrieve your property in Texas any way.
If they become violent towards you and you "fear for your life" at that point, you can spin it as self defense and if deadly force is needed to protect YOURSELF, so be it.
If they become violent towards you and you "fear for your life" at that point, you can spin it as self defense and if deadly force is needed to protect YOURSELF, so be it.
You cant defend objects. Play by the silly laws or move out here to the Midwest. I would use something like we do out here in Kansas to protect our AC units from the crackheads stealing them for the copper. Wish you the best of luck I sincerely do. Not fun working hard and having someone else get the rewards. Might I suggest a Doberman or two?! : )
So you catch someone trying to steal the generator and you want to kill them? Give them a thump and send them on their way, this all sounds too Mad Max to me.
I caught a burglar in my garage some years ago. He was a career thief who then got bail and then jumped that and later the law tracked him down and he stayed in jail until his trial funded by taxpayers a year later. Found guilty, he went away again and I'm sure back out plying his trade again. The 'old time' career burglars knew not to be armed as that adds serious time to their sentence, but now, others operate without much thought, are armed. Many are involved with drugs. Government doesn't like the cost of criminal incarceraton, but discounts the effect of citizen's unease with the predators.
Originally Posted by ammolab
Originally Posted by WhyMe
i equate you stealing my generator when its freezing outside to putting me and my family in danger.
So you guys in the snow states that get hit all the time, do people steal generators? has there been a case where a homeowner used deadly force to protect power to ones home? what was the outcome?
thanks
Outcome is region specific: in Jersey?...shooter arrested on the spot. In Montana?.. Shooters and Sheriff share a few beers afterward.
Montana/Idaho, same, same, lol, he should not a done it..."yup" said the Sheriff.
10:48pm my power just snapped off for a second.
Originally Posted by WhyMe
i equate you stealing my generator when its freezing outside to putting me and my family in danger.
So you guys in the snow states that get hit all the time, do people steal generators? has there been a case where a homeowner used deadly force to protect power to ones home? what was the outcome?
thanks
Outcome is region specific: in Jersey?...shooter arrested on the spot. In Montana?.. Shooters and Sheriff share a few beers afterward.
Montana/Idaho, same, same, lol, he should not a done it..."yup" said the Sheriff.
10:48pm my power just snapped off for a second.
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I'm a gun owner and CCW holder myself and thieves get under my skin too but shooting someone for stealing your generator is not self defense. It's murder.
Indiana is "reasonable force" and no duty to retreat. We are allowed to protect our property, but again good luck convincing a jury that you needed to shoot someone over a generator.
Also, there's criminal and civil... the police may not charge you with anything. That won't stop the dude or the family of the dude you shot and killed from coming after you.
Also, there's criminal and civil... the police may not charge you with anything. That won't stop the dude or the family of the dude you shot and killed from coming after you.
How is snow going to lead to power outages? Make your case. The most understandable one is you have lots of trees (with foliage?) that never see snow, so all that extra weight would be a burden.
"Everyone" by me has generators, after the infamous Ice storm of 1998. But if someone's breaks due to neglect, I could see them "sourcing" another.
Buying a new generator then returning it after a storm is a shady move. I hope anyone attempting to will get restocking fees. This creates a shortage for those who actually intend to buy and keep. You'd be better off buying one off-season as alerted by a slickdeals sale, keeping it in the box, then getting your money back on craigslist when the timing's right.
You tough guys with your sound-proof enclosures neglect to imagine that YOUR LIGHTS ARE ON and your wifi might even be broadcasting.
However if they can't find your generator in your driveway they might assume you have a permanently installed whole-house one that's too heavy to rip off.
Anyone running a generator would do well to have a decent flashlight on their person, so when the lights go out when you're on the sofa with your afghan and your kitty cat you can respond quickly.
"Everyone" by me has generators, after the infamous Ice storm of 1998. But if someone's breaks due to neglect, I could see them "sourcing" another.
Buying a new generator then returning it after a storm is a shady move. I hope anyone attempting to will get restocking fees. This creates a shortage for those who actually intend to buy and keep. You'd be better off buying one off-season as alerted by a slickdeals sale, keeping it in the box, then getting your money back on craigslist when the timing's right.
You tough guys with your sound-proof enclosures neglect to imagine that YOUR LIGHTS ARE ON and your wifi might even be broadcasting.
Anyone running a generator would do well to have a decent flashlight on their person, so when the lights go out when you're on the sofa with your afghan and your kitty cat you can respond quickly.
Originally Posted by Nickdfresh
Originally Posted by Al
Quote
I would not use deadly force to protect a generator.
Of course not. You are in the peoples republic of NY. You could in other states. But I wouldn't anyway. You would be sued and it only takes 7 jurists to convict.
Chain it up...seriously.
Which states, Al?
Maybe you can leave valuable things in your yard as an excuse to shoot people, in Pennsylvania? I mean, should we kill people that steal Amazon packages? Maybe. But what happens when old man big-internet-balls accidentally sends bullets into his neighbors houses or God forbid kills a kid unintentionally when spraying the neighborhood with well intentioned, crime-fighting lead?
But yeah, chain your generator up FFS...
I think you're taking the point wrong.
He's not advocating shooting for property, he's saying that you can use deadly force to defend against a life-threatening act.
If your grandmother needed her oxygen tank to live, and a criminal was stealing it, can you use deadly force to stop the theft? The theft will kill her. It is a lethal threat. A proportional response (lethal force against lethal threat) is not unreasonable.
Now, is the generator loss life-threatening? Well, in the blizzard and cold, the OP has suggested that it is.
I would not, personally, kill over that generator, I would take other means of security.
How would a jury see this?
I've got no idea...they might agree with the proportionality argument. They might not.
Originally Posted by Al
Quote
I would not use deadly force to protect a generator.
Of course not. You are in the peoples republic of NY. You could in other states. But I wouldn't anyway. You would be sued and it only takes 7 jurists to convict.
Chain it up...seriously.
Which states, Al?
Maybe you can leave valuable things in your yard as an excuse to shoot people, in Pennsylvania? I mean, should we kill people that steal Amazon packages? Maybe. But what happens when old man big-internet-balls accidentally sends bullets into his neighbors houses or God forbid kills a kid unintentionally when spraying the neighborhood with well intentioned, crime-fighting lead?
But yeah, chain your generator up FFS...
I think you're taking the point wrong.
He's not advocating shooting for property, he's saying that you can use deadly force to defend against a life-threatening act.
If your grandmother needed her oxygen tank to live, and a criminal was stealing it, can you use deadly force to stop the theft? The theft will kill her. It is a lethal threat. A proportional response (lethal force against lethal threat) is not unreasonable.
Now, is the generator loss life-threatening? Well, in the blizzard and cold, the OP has suggested that it is.
I would not, personally, kill over that generator, I would take other means of security.
How would a jury see this?
I've got no idea...they might agree with the proportionality argument. They might not.
In most jurisdictions, you'd end up with a felony charge.
In OH, unless you have a pretty fancy generator, the theft wouldn't even be a felony, so you'd be in the position of having shot and maybe killed someone for attempted petty theft. A good lawyer could probably get you a plea of voluntary manslaughter or felonious assault if the perp survived the encounter, but you'd also get additional mandatory time for the use of the firearm. You'd be looking at probably six years state time minimum.
There's also the certainty of a civil action by the surviving perp or by the family of one you'd killed. This would add insult to injury in that in addition to the prison time you'd end up never having two pennies to rub together again.
Overall, the idea of using deadly force to protect a piece of chattel property is foolish on many levels.
In OH, unless you have a pretty fancy generator, the theft wouldn't even be a felony, so you'd be in the position of having shot and maybe killed someone for attempted petty theft. A good lawyer could probably get you a plea of voluntary manslaughter or felonious assault if the perp survived the encounter, but you'd also get additional mandatory time for the use of the firearm. You'd be looking at probably six years state time minimum.
There's also the certainty of a civil action by the surviving perp or by the family of one you'd killed. This would add insult to injury in that in addition to the prison time you'd end up never having two pennies to rub together again.
Overall, the idea of using deadly force to protect a piece of chattel property is foolish on many levels.
Tom NJ
$100 Site Donor 2026
Use of a firearm against a person is a last resort to be used only when you or another innocent person is in imminent danger of death or serious bodily harm. Even then, expect a long and expensive defense, and anger or justice are poor defenses. There are other ways to protect your generator.
Originally Posted by SubieRubyRoo
Agreed, has too much time on his hands to be worried over such nonsense.
My mom has lost her wallet at least 5 times and got it back fully intact every time.
My doors have always been unlocked and never lost a thing.
Life is too short to live in fear
Your location says Wisconsin. I'd bet it's not Milwaukee.
Agreed, has too much time on his hands to be worried over such nonsense.
My mom has lost her wallet at least 5 times and got it back fully intact every time.
My doors have always been unlocked and never lost a thing.
Life is too short to live in fear
Your location says Wisconsin. I'd bet it's not Milwaukee.
Originally Posted by SubieRubyRoo
Never in a million years would I expect a jury to call you "not guilty" for shooting and killing an unarmed guy stealing your generator. Ain't gonna fly.
Put me on that jury and we'll see.
I thought it's pretty common in Texas to have people legally shoot thieves on their property outside of their home.
Chaining the generator down can help against opportunity theft, but anyone who really wants it will just bring a bolt cutter. Some people will hide the generator in some way and muffle the sound and then run the exhaust away from the house, sometimes underground to hide that pipe too.
Never in a million years would I expect a jury to call you "not guilty" for shooting and killing an unarmed guy stealing your generator. Ain't gonna fly.
Put me on that jury and we'll see.
I thought it's pretty common in Texas to have people legally shoot thieves on their property outside of their home.
Chaining the generator down can help against opportunity theft, but anyone who really wants it will just bring a bolt cutter. Some people will hide the generator in some way and muffle the sound and then run the exhaust away from the house, sometimes underground to hide that pipe too.
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