shoot them and drag em inside...dead people dont have alibi's.

t-bill is right though, took the concealed handgun class, learn alot...

Not the dragging inside part though...

That's not what they told us during our Concealed Handgun License course. They said that you had the right to protect your property using any means necessary (including lethal), if you believe you would not be able to recover the property if you failed to act. They said what they mean is that if you see the kid next door steal something, you don't have to shoot him because you know where he lives and would be able to recover it without force. On the other hand, if you walk in your house and a thief runs out the back door with your TV and if you fail to take action you believe you would not be able to recover your property........... Aim straight and pull.
Can't say if that's really the law or not, but that's clearly what they told us. I'm not advocating looking for an opportunity to shoot someone, but to me thieves get what they deserve and a bullet might be on the menu.

I concur with alot being said...... Being prior law enforcement but in Virginia, The only time u are allowed to use lethal force is IF u feared for your life........ if u shoot a man in the back, he was posing no threat to you because he is obviously moving away from your person. not sure the exact laws back here in texas but i would expect them to not differ too awful much in this day and age........ I always remember a rule of thumb..... use only the amount of force necessary to overcome the force being exerted against you!!! Lethal force is WAY up on the ol force continueum

TBill, your wrong about not being able to use lethal force to stop the admission of a crime. Especially at night you can use deadly force to stop criminal mischief and stealing your property is at the very least criminal mischief.---Smitty

There are documented cases of otherwise lawful shootings that have resulted in the shooter losing everything in civil court.

As the farmer lamented, "I saved the tractor, but I lost the farm".

Only IF you meet ALL of the following justifications, not justone or two...ALL. And the catch 22 is the Section 3-A. A person MAY be able to beat the charges, but by the time a lawyer got through with you, you WILL be broke and busted.

� 9.42. DEADLY FORCE TO PROTECT PROPERTY. A person is
justified in using deadly force against another to protect land or
tangible, movable property:
(1) if he would be justified in using force against the
other under Section 9.41; and
(2) when and to the degree he reasonably believes the
deadly force is immediately necessary:
(A) to prevent the other's imminent commission of
arson, burglary, robbery, aggravated robbery, theft during the
nighttime, or criminal mischief during the nighttime; or
(B) to prevent the other who is fleeing
immediately after committing burglary, robbery, aggravated
robbery, or theft during the nighttime from escaping with the
property; and
(3) he reasonably believes that:
(A) the land or property cannot be protected or
recovered by any other means; or
(B) the use of force other than deadly force to
protect or recover the land or property would expose the actor or
another to a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury.

Fishnman....in regards to your question...take it from me, just ASSUME you WILL get broken into if you take your boat to the lake (overnight). Make that assumption, and take the necessary precautions, and it will hurt alot less.

All you can do if you catch a theif is hold him there until the police arrive. THAT is legal. Take it from me, I was a loss prevention agent for years.

If Fork is this bad, why hasn't the Lake Fork Association or whoever promotes the lake gotten the local law enforcement to do something? I know after reading all these reports of thieft, no business on Fork will see one dollar of my money, there are too many better places to go.

That's a very good question. If the theft and destruction of property epidemic at Fork is as bad as it sounds, why aren't marina owners and local law enforcement doing more to stop it?

There is a club right around the minnow bucket and after it closed they hit you b/c they are bullet proof from all the beer. Just take every thing out and put it in your room b/c the hotel will not do any thing as far as putting a guard out there.

You know I ask the same thing at Mustang Resort when I stayed there at the end of March after some break-ins were reported. I told them I would be willing to pay another ten dollars a night if it would go to hiring a night watchman from say 8PM to 5 AM. I know each marina should be able to hire someone to watch their grounds for a hundred a night or 10 bucks an hour. I got no answer other than it's a shame people are stealing. Evidently that is the same response all the marina's have as the theft is still going on.---Smitty

As I said before, not a penny of my money to any business around Lake Fork. If I have to assume I'm going to be robbed, I just won't go there.

To the ones of you who are saying you wont go,well you better just stay at home.This kind of theft is not just going on at Lake Fork.It has happened at most of the lakes at one time or another.If it is not at the hotel then it is at the ramp.We the fisherman are to be partially blamed

Seems to me,and I know you will correct me if I am wrong, but most of this is happening in the 154 bridge area, and always has. Dottie, God bless her sole, that used to run the cabins and resort area next to Minnow Bucket, told me that they had theives back in 2000, to take everything in, including our fishfinders.