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Could a prosecutor make a case that because you kept the baseball bat next to your bed that you had prior intent that if anyone broke into your home you would use it as a weapon to kill or at the very least maim? I have been told, I have read and I have heard weirder stories like the burglar who was breaking and entering a business fell through the roof and was injured. He sued the building and business owner and won even tho it occurred during the commission of a felony.
Now, if you had a closet close by where you liked to store all your sport equipment for baseball, soccer, basketball, hockey, etc. and just happened to grab either the baseball bat or the hockey stick from that closet then would they even consider criminal intent?
It just goes to show you need to be thinking not just self-defense against an intruder but other threats as well be they legal or criminal. When you consider what you want to do to protect yourself, your family and your home take all sides and all directions into consideration. Then make an informed decision as to intent and how it does or could play out when viewed by others, police or civil attorney's.
Does this make sense? Now, the graphic above seems like a baseball fan where I would not make an assumption of intent with the bat next to that bed :-)
2 comments:
Excellent post and an interesting question! I've always wondered what would happen if a burglar broke into our house and we used some kobudo weapons to defend ourselves - we keep these for martial arts training purposes not for self-defence and they are generally stored in a container in our gym. My husband wanted to keep a jo upstairs (just in case). I wasn't happy that this was legitimate so he know keeps a 4ft piece of curtain pole upstairs instead! Still not sure if this is okay though. By the way, pepper sprays and such like are illegal in the UK .
Thanks, Sue :-)
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