Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

There is no basis for use of lethal force other than self defense against a threat to life. That seems to get lost in the US all too frequently.



I think US law considers being on someone else’s property to be an inherent threat to life, in cases like a home.

Also defending another person against a threat to life is a basis for the use of legal force everywhere - that’s pretty uncontroversial I think.


Defence of others is indeed covered in self defence. But the threat response has to be proportional -- you can't shoot someone in the head because they look menacing or said you had an ugly dog.

The 'castle doctrine' you refer to is a perversion peculiar to some US states, but it still has to be your home and you still have to have a reasonable belief your life is threatened. Strangely, although you can use lethal force on an intruder/trespasser, if you shoot a police officer about to conduct a lawful no-knock raid, I think you could get convicted.

https://www.texasmonthly.com/news/a-no-knock-raid-in-houston...


"Lawful no-knock raid" is a basic contradiction. If there is no notice that the home invaders are police, then they're actually just home invaders. It's unfortunate that so many will have to die before a sympathetic enough casualty comes along to end the practice.


It is certainly the case that, statistically, no-knock raids are unjustified. The idea that losing a dime bag of drug evidence is sufficient basis seems absurd. If it's a Hell's Angels clubhouse full of weapons or a Sinaloa cartel abduction site I can see the necessity, i.e. to reduce the risk to the community of high powered weapons use by the suspects. But judges in the US see to give out no-knock warrants like candy.


> I think US law considers being on someone else’s property to be an inherent threat to life, in cases like a home.

Only a few states have castle doctrine laws in effect, and there are restrictions on when they apply.




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: