Make my day.... Gone bad.

People make mistakes (especially kids) that does not mean they deserve to die, I hate the way our world is just saying "too bad" if you make a mistake you should just pay for it. I don't care if you all think the kid deserved it. A father shot his son. That is more than devastating. I am not saying I don't believe in our 1st amendment right HOWEVER, people with guns that have little training are dangerous thing. This is not the first time a family member has killed another on accident . Look at it this way, I have a gun under my pillow and I get woken up in the middle of the night. Half asleep I grab my gun and almost shoot my kid because I was half out of it. this make my day law is dangerous. I understand the meaning behind it but even if you feel like it is your right, it does not make it any less dangerous. I am not saying do anything about it but it it still is what it is. This story illustrates the deadly mistakes made by untrained people with guns. That is all I am saying.

Nobody that matters wrote:

PrintSmith wrote: The point is that a father now lives with the knowledge that his son lies dead because he came to the aid of his sister. Put aside everything else as you put yourself in that man's shoes and ponder what he faces when his eyes open today.

I am doing exactly that. A son should know his father well enough to know what would happen to a thief. The son dressed in black and brought it on himself. That father shouldn't feel any guilt at all, unless he somehow failed in his attempts to impress good morals on his son.

No one said he should feel guilty ntm, but a clear conscience won't erase the grief at the loss of a beloved child. That the child is responsible for their own death will not fill the empty void in a parent's life.

CinnamonGirl wrote: People make mistakes (especially kids) that does not mean they deserve to die, I hate the way our world is just saying "too bad" if you make a mistake you should just pay for it. I don't care if you all think the kid deserved it. A father shot his son. That is more than devastating. I am not saying I don't believe in our 1st amendment right HOWEVER, people with guns that have little training are dangerous thing. This is not the first time a family member has killed another on accident . Look at it this way, I have a gun under my pillow and I get woken up in the middle of the night. Half asleep I grab my gun and almost shoot my kid because I was half out of it. this make my day law is dangerous. I understand the meaning behind it but even if you feel like it is your right, it does not make it any less dangerous. I am not saying do anything about it but it it still is what it is. This story illustrates the deadly mistakes made by untrained people with guns. That is all I am saying.

The man didn't shoot his son on accident CG, he intended to shoot, intended to remove the threat that he was presented with. That said, I am not so sure I would agree with your assessment that what happened was a mistake on the part of the father. A tragic occurrence certainly, but I wouldn't go so far as to say it was a mistake. Life is dangerous CG. Liberty is more dangerous still. The more likely it is that one who steals will meet a violent end, the less likely they are to find stealing an agreeable occupation. You hear about the times when "make my day" winds up in tragedy, but there is no means available to quantify the number of tragedies that don't occur because someone decided it wasn't worth risking their life to break into another person's home in the middle of the night. IMNTBHO, the presence of the law is a lot less dangerous than the absence of it would be.

This incident took place in New Fairfield, Conn. where neither the Castle Doctrine (make my day law) nor the stand your ground law exist. From a legal standpoint I'm not sure the father couldn't be charged with numerous criminal acts. That he killed his own son is going to be a constant punishment.
Regarding accidentally shooting someone in your home, we teach a couple techniques that use flashlights to identify the cause of the sound before simply shooting.
Simply buying a firearm, reading the owners manual and shooting the gun at a static type range are the first steps only. To become proficient in the use of a firearm takes some dedicated training. How many would feel comfortable buying a teenager their first car, having them read the owners manual and driving in an empty parking lot, then saying "okay, you're on your own now?"

Everyone who owns a gun should go through some very good training. We personally took a concealed carry course here in Bailey that was outstanding.
Gun safety was a constant montra.
Firing a gun at another human being should be your very last choice when you feel your life is threatened.
These scenarios are rehearsed over and over in good gun safety courses.
One thing was clear......pulling that trigger is a LAST resort!

The man didn't shoot his son on accident CG, he intended to shoot, intended to remove the threat that he was presented with. That said, I am not so sure I would agree with your assessment that what happened was a mistake on the part of the father. A tragic occurrence certainly, but I wouldn't go so far as to say it was a mistake. Life is dangerous CG. Liberty is more dangerous still. The more likely it is that one who steals will meet a violent end, the less likely they are to find stealing an agreeable occupation. You hear about the times when "make my day" winds up in tragedy, but there is no means available to quantify the number of tragedies that don't occur because someone decided it wasn't worth risking their life to break into another person's home in the middle of the night. IMNTBHO, the presence of the law is a lot less dangerous than the absence of it would be.

This is all I will say and my opinion only FOR MYSELF ONLY. I would rather die myself than shoot a person in my home. Even if trained it is not worth it to me and I don't feel good about shooting someone in my home even if I was threatened. MAYBE if I was in the process of being raped but I doubt I could live with that either. This case was not like that. He had no gun, unless I missed something, and I DO NOT believe in shooting unarmed people. Am I right that the make my day law is okay with shooting someone in your house armed or not? Or can you straighten me out on the specifics.

Based on the limited information in the story, it appeared the ski masked person had a weapon and may have lunged at the shooter/father. This would constitute self defense, not the make my day law.
We posted links for the Colorado Revised Statute that covers our laws on use of force and use of deadly force for Colorado only.
You are free to choose not to defend yourself in any situation, but remember others that may depend on you are now at the mercy of your decisions.

Thanks Green Mountain. Appreciate the info. I really do.

My understanding of the make my day law in CO is that you must be able to PROVE that your life was in danger in order to justify the taking of another persons life.
It is not as simple as just shooting someone who enters your home.
Any time you pull that trigger.....you risk a murder charge.
You would need the services of an attorney and you WILL go through the court system.

From Green Mtn. Guns link (bold is mine):

18-1-704.5. Use of deadly physical force against an intruder.


The general assembly hereby recognizes that the citizens of Colorado have a right to expect absolute safety within their own homes.
Notwithstanding the provisions of section 18-1-704, any occupant of a dwelling is justified in using any degree of physical force, including deadly physical force, against another person when that other person has made an unlawful entry into the dwelling, and when the occupant has a reasonable belief that such other person has committed a crime in the dwelling in addition to the uninvited entry, or is committing or intends to commit a crime against a person or property in addition to the uninvited entry, and when the occupant reasonably believes that such other person might use any physical force, no matter how slight, against any occupant.
Any occupant of a dwelling using physical force, including deadly physical force, in accordance with the provisions of subsection (2) of this section shall be immune from criminal prosecution for the use of such force.
Any occupant of a dwelling using physical force, including deadly physical force, in accordance with the provisions of subsection (2) of this section shall be immune from any civil liability for injuries or death resulting from the use of such force.

You don't have to prove that your life was in danger. If the occupant feels in fear for their life or the lives of the other occupants of the home they may use any degree of physical force against an intruder without criminal prosecution or civil liability.

Mtn Gramma has it right.

However civil suits would most likely bankrupt you.