EDITORIAL: Selbstverteidigungsgesetz absurd und veraltet; Es ist Zeit für ein Update – insbesondere angesichts der Häufigkeit von Wohnungseinbrüchen heutzutage

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Has the frequency of home invasions really become that big of a problem these days?

I don’t want to go nuts on a burglar, but I also don’t want to be dragged through the court or have my life ruined with legal fees (~$30-$50K) if I err on the side of caution when faced with a threat in my own home.

My position on this issue is hardening due to the increase of violent invasions in Ontario – up over 50% in recent years – even though it looks like the number of burglaries has fallen by over 50% since 2000 (I know, seems unlikely but those do appear to be the stats).

Some countries have a system to recover court costs from the state when charges are withdrawn, or a higher bar to bring charges prior to a full investigation. Perhaps we can model their system to fit our needs, versus this seemingly ham-fisted approach?

Just an FYI so people understand.

It’s not Police who WANT to charge homeowners for defending themselves. It’s the Prosecutor and Crown that pushes and demands Police lay charges.

I can tell you with experience no Police officer goes to calls like this and say „ya I want to arrest and charge this homeowner for defending himself“.

When you don’t know the intent of an intruder, and you don’t know whether they are armed or not, and you don’t know if there is more than one of them, you are at a disadvantage. That should lead to being given the benefit of the doubt. Why should the homeowner have to gamble with their life when they have no knowledge of the intent of the intruder? The intruder has the upper hand.

I’ve been downvoted time and again, but I still stand by the belief that the Americans have the right idea with their *2nd Amendment, Constitutional Carry*, and *Stand Your Ground* laws. They are wrong about a lot, but not this. People need to be able to defend themselves, from criminals and foreign aggressors; both of whom will have guns anyway. 

The government should have far less power to tell adult citizens what they can’t own, let alone use to defend themselves. If someone starts trouble, and gets killed for it, that’s not a great loss. I doubt we’ll ever get a pro-gun government, so the best that sensible Canadians can hope for is to make good use of Jury Nullification if you’re ever on a self-defense trial. 

Someone breaks into your home you should be given a lot of leeway. The way I see it is if someone breaks into my home and I call the police when the police arrive they will do so with a gun. If the intruder does not comply with their commands / becomes aggressive the e police will shoot them. I should be able to do the same within my home.

I think it’s pretty obvious Canadians want and need stronger self defence.