General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Self-defense: Duty to retreat or Stand your ground [View all]spin
(17,493 posts)why would I believe that a person who had broken into my home while I was present had no intention of harming me or other members of my family? He could simply wait until the house was unoccupied and then break in and take whatever he wanted.
That doesn't mean that I would blow the intruder away just because he was in my home. If he followed my instructions he would simply have to wait until the police arrived to cuff and stuff him. If I confronted him and he turned and ran out a door, I would not chase or shoot him. If he turned his back and did not run, I would suspect he was trying to access a weapon. I would order him to not turn toward me and move left or right to a different location in the room. If he didn't obey my instructions I would shoot him before he shot me. (Hopefully.)
Why should I have to retreat in such a situation? If I did so, the intruder might run up the stairs to the second story of my home and threaten other members of my family.