I didn't feel like I needed an explanation. I was just curious. In my mind it would be VERY difficult to walk out of ANY store with an armload of fishing rods. I don't get how that happens. Maybe if the OP would say how, other store owners could better protect themselves from this. That's all.

If I was at one of the other stores in the area I'd want to know. Is it my business, absolutely not. But I'd ask and hope for some professional courtesy.

For some reason the two officers who came to my house after I put two loads of 00 buck in that car did not have a problem with my doing It. Maybe you know the law better than they did but I would do the same thing again should the need come up
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You sound just like a Liberal. OOOHHH better not hurt the thief's feelings either.

Cant believe no one recognizes them yet... I bet someone will soon enough. Unless they are really not from the area...in that case who knows.

Has anyone tried to add that pic to their facebook and see if the app tries to tag them?

Sometimes it will pick up on the persons facial features from other pics on FB of them and try to add their name.

Even if they did, they wouldn't want to admit t they were friends with these Slime-O's!

I have had it try to tag people who are not my friends and I have been tagged in error on strangers posts bcs the guy kind of looked like me. Or the FB thought they did.

True that I don't know the law well. I am not an attorney, but every case is different.

I am most certainly not a liberal. I should not have even posted here, I was just informing people of a law they may not know. Regardless if the thread had any "threats", I was just giving information on an unknown law. I don't care about the thieves feelings, but I also would not attempt to assault them (not saying ya'll would).

Quite often, what is heard or read is inaccurate. I posted the actual Texas Penal code, not what I read or what some lawyer said. Be aware that there are states that have "duty to retreat" laws which Texas does not have so what is legal in Texas is not always legal in other states.

I can assure you, being in your garage does count as does being in your car or on your land or in a 7-11. In any of these scenarios, if someone is truly trying to rob or car jack you, especially with a weapon such as a knife, gun, bat etc... Texas law does indeed allow self defense, up to and including shooting someone in self defense, especially if the perpetrator is threatening your life with a weapon.

Another scenario, a woman has a car breakdown on a road and a man stops and tries to rape her, she is absolutely within her rights to defend herself with any available weapon to any extreme. With what you are saying, she could only defend herself if she was in her home, not even in her garage.

That said, I would not shoot anyone over a TV, fishing rod, lures, etc.... and feel that shooting these guys would be extreme. A good beat down from the owner would have been nice.

Those are some good scenarios in which it would be legal. But, I was not saying you have no right to protect yourself unless in your house. I was specifically referring to the theft of personal property on private property. Of course, it will almost always be legal when a weapon is involved. I was more or less thinking about a thief with no weapons on their person, but because it is legal (arguably), that person is shot by a home owner. Again, I am no expert on Texas Law.

Texasfisherman1, you were correct up until they changed the law around 2007 to no retreat. Most of things posted online about laws are wrong in the real world. There is the Texas Penal Code and there is also case law. Even though the Penal Code might state one thing, case law may state something different and then it would depend on the situation. It also depends on the county. If you shoot someone for any reason, typically the police don't determine that you were right or wrong. You may or may not be arrested and then the DA would determine if they wished to go forward on charges and then it would be presented to a grand jury who would either say it was ok and no court would follow or that it would go to a court. For example, you shoot at someone who is committing theft at nighttime in Dallas County and they may not file charges, do it in Travis County and you will probably be going to court.

I've been in law enforcement for 20 years and would never tell someone that they could or could not use deadly force in generic terms. Every minute detail can change the outcome.

WHY has this thread taken a turn to the law concerning shooting someone or defending your castle ?
It was originally about the thugs that hijacked Oak Ridge. Can it please get back to that so we can catch these guys ?

Lets try and get back on track.... spread the pic around, someone has to know these guys! We have an off topic section that you can debate legalities of shooting someone all day long!

A lot of people, me included, would like to do serious bodily harm to anyone caught stealing from us.

The reality of it is that you better make sure you can justify taking a life or even wounding someone over property. The law may say it is justified, but once you get charged and get in front of a jury of the 12 brightest citizens they can seat then the whole deal can change in an instant.

By the letter of the law it is legal to shoot someone after the sun sets for criminal mischief. But, I would guess you would be charged and most likely found guilty.

If you do not get charged or even found not guilty, then you have the civil liability issues to deal with and that could get ugly as well.

It seems our laws have moved to protect the wrong side some of the time. Then when you look at civil law it's even worse.


If you choose to use deadly force, from what I understand, you better be prepared to justify it and/or defend yours actions.

Yes sir, I totally agree. What the law says is perceived in different ways in court. Every case is different.

Nutman, I was not trying to hijack the thread, I just wasn't expecting that many replies. On the other hand, this discussion is keeping the post on top.