Posted by Skans: All I said that I would do (before someone interjected "beating on a vehicle") was stand in the yard and watch the guy. That's it, just watch the guy. Really, that's all I said I'd do - when others suggested that I retreat inside my house and call the police.
You said you would stare at him and later that you that you would observe him. OK, "watch".
Others have said it would be wiser to go in the house, and still others, that one should call the police, because he probably poses a danger to himself.
You said on one occasion that you would not draw unless and until he directly threatened you with harm, and on another, that you would draw if he started beating on your car.
Let's set the latter aside and discuss the first. If it were immediately necessary for you to draw to defend yourself against an imminent danger of death or serious bodily harm, you should do so--you need to. You had better also hope that you can present sufficient evidence supportive of your defense of justification, and that no one presents much in the way of contradictory testimony, or your justification will remain in your own mind, where it will not do you any good at all.
Consider this angle--a staggering man not in complete control of his own facilities utters unintelligible comments and walks toward you. He asks for directions. You have "stood your ground" and he's close. You draw; it doesn't register on him; you fire.
One, two, or maybe more more witnesses say that, based on what they were able to observe, an apparently harmless man who had been asking people for directions came close to you, you drew a gun, and you shot him down; he says the same thing; medical witnesses for the state say that the impaired man likely posed no threat to a man your size.
You claim that you fired in self defense, perhaps trying to justify it by mentioning the irrelevant fact that he stepped onto your property. You have no corroborating evidence or supporting witnesses.
More likely than not, your goose is cooked. Maybe not, but likely. Either way, you will probably finance the education of the children of an attorney or two and maybe an expert witness....
...and that's before civil damages, should it come to that.
What a way to make a statement on moral principles.
Do you see why many of us would prefer to go inside until he has gone on down the street?
You need to regard your gun as a last resort, and that means staying away from trouble whenever you can.
I carry a gun, but unless I'm in the house, you'll never see me "standing my ground" for the sake of principle--I will
always try to evade or avoid. You'll never find me going anywhere that might be questionable if I can avoid it, and you'll never see me draw the gun
unless everthing else under the sun and moon has failed.
