Not in Texas, given the appropriate circumstances. Deadly force is legal under the law to protect property, even that of a 3rd party, in those situations.

We like it that way...

That's interesting, thanks for the tip. However, I would be careful in relying on Texas Penal Code Section 9.42. It contains several conditions that a hostile prosecutor could effectively use against you, including these two requirements:

(A) the land or property cannot be protected or
recovered by any other means; or
(B) the use of force other than deadly force to
protect or recover the land or property would expose the actor or another to a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury.

Before pointing a gun at a guy stealing a motorcycle from my front yard, I would want to be *very* confident that the local police and prosecutors support such actions by citizens. Not every jurisdiction in Texas is gunowner-friendly.

Moreover, I don't think most U.S. jurisdictions have provisions like Section 9.42. Generally, the rule is that you have to reasonably fear death or serious bodily harm to be justified in using deadly force. If the intruder hasn't entered your house, that's a difficult standard to meet. Here in Kansas City earlier this year, a man shot and killed a would-be thief in his back yard. He was protecting a go-cart. Yes, the man was arrested, and I believe he's being prosecuted.

You also have to consider the potential for civil liability. The family members of slain criminals can, and do, sue their victims. That's a risk worth taking if you're in physical danger, but probably not to protect your bicycle or your tool shed.

You shouldn't fire a gun unless you intend to kill what it's pointed at. You should never want to kill a criminal unless you feel your life is in danger. If your situation meets that standard, well....if the miscreant is dead, it's hard for him to contest that you felt in imminent danger of your life. Double tap means never having to say you're sorry.

That's only true in some places. And, even in Texas, there are limitations.

Even here in NY, if someone enters my abode, I can use a deadly weapon to repel them.

And, of course, I can use the common law of self defense, because any reasonable person would conclude that a night intruder means serious harm.

If someone is stealing your car, though, it doesn't really matter what weapon you have, unless you catch the person before he/she is 50 yards away.

How often does that happen?

If you carry your wallet in your front pants pockets, you won't get your pockets picked. The usual criminal does not also double as town perv.

Ugh, wish I could edit a post. That was embarrassing.

That depends upon local laws. In many places in the US, you can use a gun to defend your home, an intruder is fair game until it becomes obvious he isn't a threat. Likewise, someone trying to overpower you for your wallet on the street is a threat.

If the crime is clearly only a property crime, in most cases you are probably correct, but property crimes often are combined with breaking and entering or assault.

Derb, your relative could take the Celine Dion philosophy which she adopted during the looting shortly after Katrina hit New Orleans:

"They just want to touch those things for once"

Of course it wasn't her house either...

Amen to that. I lived in Manhattan 40 years ago, in the same years that my husband lived in rural Colorado. I had three locks on my apartment door and chose handbags with security in mind. My husband didn't have locks on the doors to his house, and never locked the car--didn't even roll up the windows-- when he left it in town. The city and the country; 'twas ever thus.