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Most of us are not going to shoot people we recognize, such as our neighbors' ten-year-old that goes to retrieve a ball in the back yard.

My neighbors' ten-year-old is not the violent sort, and if she were to snap and become so, I'm confident that I could overpower her without deadly force. Aside from that, I don't know of any kids that are up to any good that would break locks on fences to retrieve a ball; most would come to the front door and ask for access first.

Keeping doors locked, even when home, is not only a good safety measure, but throws out more of the possibility for an ambiguous situation to present itself.

JMO.

I keep my doors locked unless we're doing work in the front yard or checking the mail. If someone enters my home without my invitation, I want there to be a lot of noise (so that I can prepare myself) and a lot of evidence (for the police to photograph/collect).

I also don't want there to be any ambiguity, such as a case with an intoxicated or mentally incompetent person. If the doors are locked, simply turning a knob or pressing a lever simply won't work.

I also keep my gates locked to the backyard for this reason; however, I'm still curious as to whether or not entering a gated backyard is justification for deadly force. Waiting on the lawyers to chime in on this one.