Firearms Owners Against Crime
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
COLUMBUS, Ga.- Imagine being startled by two men, one of them shirtless, walking up the steps into your home, one of them actually puts his foot inside the door. What do you do? One woman grabbed her gun and let the intruders know that she was armed.
Last week, Samantha Dent says she left her front door open to get some fresh air.
Dent, who’s a stay-at-home mom of two, says she noticed two men approaching her home so she reached for her gun.
She says one of them appeared to be making his way inside.
“He said he was looking for his dog and I accepted that but I told him that he needed to leave and I told him that he needed to be careful because it’s not safe to come onto someone else’s property this day and age,” says Dent.
Recent home burglaries have Dent on edge.
Just last Friday, a Columbus Police Officer was shot while responding to an attempted burglary in progress.
So what can you do if your home is broken into?
“You’ve got to show that he’s there to steal something if he’s standing on your lawn you have no legal right to shoot that person but if he’s on your lawn and he’s in your car and stealing your lawn mower…by law you’re authorized to use deadly force,” says News 3 Crime Expert Ricky Holder.
That’s known as the Castle Doctrine.
Holder is a 19-year veteran of the auburn police department and now works as a private investigator.
He says if you choose to use deadly force- make sure you’re able to prove that your life was in danger.