Using A Gun In your home for protection In Canada?

Question

If someone breaks into my home while im sleeping to i have the right too use a gun on them for my protection

Answer 1

That's a tricky question.
Legal perspective -- You are entitled to use reasonable force to protect yourself, but you have to consider the option of escaping before using force. If you can get out without using the gun, then do it. If you have no realistic chance of escape and it seems your life (or another person's life) is in danger, you have an argument that using the gun is justified.

Practical perspective -- Unless you are well trained and experienced using firearms in a combat situation, if you pull a gun, there is a major risk you will have it taken from you, either before you fire or after you fire. You may fire and miss or fire and still not stop your attacker. You may freeze and not fire at all. Bringing a gun to a situation significantly increases the odds something very bad will happen, maybe much worse than if you had no gun. Also, remember if you are sleeping, your reactions will be slower at first. Are you sure that someone is threatening you or are they your son coming home from university?

My advice -- Take other safety precautions such as locking windows and doors and installing an alarm that alerts police. Don't live a high risk lifestyle where potential intruders are your "friends."

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

I don't care how much Molsen's golden or Canadian bacon you have, it isn't worth taking a life until they threaten you.
For the U.S. we have to have ability, opportunity and immediate jeopardy.
This means the have the ability to do grave bodily harm (weapon, apparent ability i.e. Govenor Schwarzenegger with a huge knife, etc, or even without a knife he is a big guy!), apparent ability, Grandma Jones 99 years old with a knife might not meet this, and immediate jeoopardy. If someone is 100 meters away yelling I am going to kill you! and holding a knife, you don't have immediate jeopardy. If they come into your home with a Rambo First Blood autograph knife and are coming towards you, I say drop the sucker.
We have a saying in law enforcement circles here, "it is better to be tried by 12 then carried by 6" so cops would rather take their chances with a jury for a shooting then be carried to their graves by 6 close friends who wished you had just shot the person.

Answer 4

Possibly yes-however if you follow Canadian law in regards to safe storage of firearms by the time you unlocked your ammo and loaded your gun, you might be dead or else could have the cops on the scene!

In principle though, legitimate self defense has to involve reasonable force. You can shoot someone if you have a legit fear for your life-for example if the intruder is armed, but you can't just shoot someone because they happen to be in your home.

Answer 5

I live in South Africa and there have been cases where the police opened murder dockets when home-owners shot burglars. But then Canada is a civilized country where crime is not out of control and criminals are not protected and the authorities don't have their heads buried in the sand. I guess you have the right but there could be repercussions.

Answer 6

Ehm..
I have a gun but I decided to study some self defence tecniques and moves that can help me to protect my family in case of violent situations or attacks. this a good resource I found that teaches exactly that: http://www.downloadita.it/r/rd.asp?gid=423
Best

Answer 7

No, not necessarily, you use the force needed to protect yourself. If you shoot him you could be found guilty for using excessive force.

Answer 8

i dont know about canadian laws specifically but im sure self defense is a good reason to shoot some one.