So here’s the scenario: you’re awakened in the middle of the night by a huge boom in the front of your house. You grab your handgun and go to investigate, and then see a man standing beside his car in your living room. Do you have the legal right to open fire on him?
…standing beside his car in your living room?
The answer, according to Orlando, FL Police appears to be yes, you have the right to open fire:
Robert Gutheil, police say, is clearly a drunk driver.
But — even though he was shot at — he wasn’t trying to break into Michael Norman’s house early Thursday.
Gutheil just drove into Norman’s house with his car because he was so sloshed, according to police, who said his blood-alcohol level was nearly four times the legal limit.
The homeowner was not charged for shooting at Gutheil, presumably because Castle Doctrine holds no matter how someone chose to enter your home illegally.
There is no word on whether Gutheil’s 2004 Chevy survived the crash and shooting, but I’m assuming it didn’t.
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