When Can a Person Use a Gun in America?
Tuesday, June 30th, 2009 at
3:51 am
hugo asked:
Well we all know here in Britain how stupid your firearms laws are. I am off to Vegas sometime in July and have heard that many people openly carry guns there. I want to know, even though it is legal in most parts of America to carry a gun, in what circumstances can a person actually use the gun and not go to jail for it? If a person is engaged in a fight and happens to be losing the fight, can he pull out his gun and shoot the other guy? If you are a shop owner and you catch someone stealing from the shop, can you pull out the gun and shoot them? I also wanted to know, if a person runs from the police can the police shoot them? I always remember hearing a story of a drunken Scottish man on holiday in Vegas who, after discovering he was lost after a night out on his way back to the hotel, he knocked on someones back door, and the home owner, thinking he was a burglar, shot him dead.
Well we all know here in Britain how stupid your firearms laws are. I am off to Vegas sometime in July and have heard that many people openly carry guns there. I want to know, even though it is legal in most parts of America to carry a gun, in what circumstances can a person actually use the gun and not go to jail for it? If a person is engaged in a fight and happens to be losing the fight, can he pull out his gun and shoot the other guy? If you are a shop owner and you catch someone stealing from the shop, can you pull out the gun and shoot them? I also wanted to know, if a person runs from the police can the police shoot them? I always remember hearing a story of a drunken Scottish man on holiday in Vegas who, after discovering he was lost after a night out on his way back to the hotel, he knocked on someones back door, and the home owner, thinking he was a burglar, shot him dead.
Tagged with: Guns • Lost • Stupid
Filed under: Scotland
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It depends on the state. There are many states that allow people to carry one around. If you fire, then there will be legal consequences. If you use it to protect yourself/others, you should be fine. If you use it to shoot up in the air after your team scores a goal, then you will be prosecuted, unless you can run quickly.
Each state has it’s own rules. Unless you have a Federal Permit to Carry, leave your gun at home. Also, don’t go knocking on strangers’ doors late at night!
Yes we are all cowboys and cowgirls blasting our firearms anywhere and anytime. The only time we can have a firearm is if it’s (1) registered and (2) if you have a CONCEALED weapons license. No one “openly carry guns” in the US. The only time you can fire a weapon and not be charged with murder is if you meet the above criteria and you are in imminent danger (self defense). If you are within your household, you must also be in imminent danger but you do not need a CONCEALED weapons license.
EDIT: Not in Las Vegas anyway.
legally you can only shoot at someone when you are in fear for your life. and you will have to defend that. say an unarmed man slaps you; gonna be hard to prove you were in fear for your life.
@ Kaz: sorry most states now allow open carry firearms. Texas, South Carolina, Oklahoma and Arkansas will soon join the rest in allowing open carry.
You see, here in America, we have the right to bear arms. It’s part of our constitution. If guns were outlawed then only criminals would have guns. There are too many of them floating around.
Do you have any more details about the drunken Scottish man? It sounds like an urban tale to me. You can’t just shoot people for knocking on your door, they must be trying to get in and/or harm you. Even then if the gun’s not registered you could be charged for having an unregistered gun.
Police only are supposed to shoot at you you if you are shooting or attempting to shoot at them.
By the way, I don’t like guns and I don’t keep guns in my home. But I do fully support other Americans’ right to do so if they wish.
Here in the US we can only legally use lethal force in circumstances where any reasonable person, even a Briton, would use lethal force. Essentially, you have to be in fear for your life.
As long as you don’t drink yourself to incoherency and break into someone’s house on the bad side of town you should have no problem. You probably stand a better chance of being knifed on the streets of London.