What Can You Do If a Mob Surrounds Yo

[727Sky]

Washington Gun Law President, William Kirk, discusses a recent video that has been kicking around in the virtual universe which shows an elderly gentleman get surrounded by an angry mob of pro-Palestinian protestors who decided to start smashing his car. This leads us to one of the most common questions we get here at Washington Gun Law which is what can you do when you find you and your car surrounded by an angry mob? The answer is much more complicated than you might think so learn more and arm yourself with education today.

Our laws suck when it comes to defending your property and life IMO

[Ninurta]

That's a good analysis, in general, and he is correct that there are differing laws in different jurisdictions, some greater variable, and some lesser, so it behooves you to know what the law is in the jurisdiction you are in.

I'm in VA, and VA is where I took my law enforcement training. The law here is that you have to be in "reasonable fear" of death or great bodily harm. It's that "reasonable fear" that a jury will have to decide whether it was actually reasonable or not - would they, if they had been in your shoes, also have been in "reasonable fear"?

That's where a good lawyer comes into the picture, it's his job to convince them they'd have been scared silly and convinced their own death was imminent.

So one of the differences between here and Washington state is that we don't have that "subjective AND objective" test. Another key difference is that deadly force is authorized if you SEE a felony in commission here. It doesn't have to be against you, nor does it have to be in your home. If it's a felony, and they resist, they are bought and paid for.

But an important factor there is knowing what is and what isn't a felony. That can get kinda dicey, especially if you are not current on state law.

But the bottom line is just what he said - it's better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6. If I'm in doubt, I'm going to err on the side of survival, and let a jury sort it out later.

A case can be made for a small woman shooting an unarmed man if he attacks her here. The presumption is that he has the capability to overpower her and either injure or even kill her. For men, it's a little different. Generally one man cannot just shoot another man for assaulting him. However, if there are two or more assailants, then the picture (sight picture, that is) gets a whole lot clearer.

A frail old man, or woman, can possibly make the case to a jury that he or she was in imminent danger from an assault from a strapping young man. What is a "reasonable fear" will vary from case to case.

In the end, it's really what you can convince a jury of, and whether that falls under a legal shoot or not. Same for a vehicle, or a handy crowbar, or anything else potentially deadly.

I was also taught that if you have to shoot someone, make sure they are down for the count. No "winging" them or other mere injury, put 'em down cold. The reason being that if they live to roll into a courtroom in a wheel chair, they have a greater chance of eliciting sympathy from the jury, and that can go poorly for you. I used to know a guy that did 15 years in prison for shooting and wounding a man, and the judge said he'd have never spent a day in jail had he gone ahead and killed the guy.

Besides, shooting someone to wound them is cruel and inhumane.

.
.

[GeauxHomeLittleD]

The laws in my state say that my "castle" privileges extend to my automobile so attacking me in my car is the same as attacking me in my house. The magic words are "I was in fear for my life."

[Chiefsmom]

You made me curious, so I just looked up Michigans law.
Yep, car or home.
But it says for shooting, they have to be in the house, no shooting through the door, so I wonder about the carry laws, in the car.  would they have to open the door?  Come through the window?
Seems tricky.

I'm afraid if they surrounded my car, and were smashing it, someone is going to get run over, jail for me or no.

[BodhisattvaStyle]

In the state of GA we have the "castle law." If someone comes into your home (breaks in) you can shoot to kill, and be justified. The rule is different in the yard. You can't just shoot someone for being on your property. If it is man VS man then if the person trespassing is armed you can shoot them. But for women, if they have a male trespasser on their property they can shoot without the man being armed.

So the law differs a little depending on the sex of the shooter in a home burglary or  if someone is trespassing.


But, if anyone is caught in your home here, you have the right to shoot to kill.
A jury of 12 here will shake your hand as they acquit you.