Don’t blame the innocent

When criminals plan to commit a robbery, they have probably planned it for hours or days. When homeowners respond, they have only seconds to decide what to do. They are thinking about protecting the family, pets and possessions. In the seconds that homeowners have to decide what to do, the decision may not be as rational as it should be if they had hours or days to decide what to do.

When a criminal invades someone’s home, the criminal is totally and solely responsible for the chain of events that follow. Who can blame the homeowner for the natural instinct to protect and react in those seconds? The homeowner’s emotions are probably a mixture of family being threatened, fear and maybe some anger.

Bottom line is that when a criminal plans to invade someone’s home in the middle of the night, do not expect the homeowner to be able to follow the letter of the law in response. The law should reflect this.

Within reason, do not blame the innocent, blame only the criminal who instigated it all.

Roy Tiefisher

Coeur d’Alene