Got my CHL today and 3 hours later my first incident!

[Tallinthesaddle]

On May 3rd I took my CHL test, got it off on Monday the 5th and DPS got it on May 8th. Pin on June 6, and checked the website on Saturday and it said it had been approved. Today I got it in the mail. I live in a rural 5 acreage subdivision just outside the city limits with a barn, horse pasture, and a gravel drive that circles around the house portion of the property. Most of my neighbors go to work and are gone during the day. My utility trailer sits in the middle of the drive, with a locked coupler. I have a guy starting to build me a pipe fence with a gate along the north side of my property to stop anyone from just driving around. Not soon enough. Just after lunch a pickup pulled through and stopped by the trailer. I didn't think a whole lot of it, probably one of the fence people. My wife was in the front bedroom and she saw them too. My house has darkened windows and it is hard to see inside and tell if anyone is at home. About 20 minutes later she told me the pickup was back and had stopped at the front of my trailer. I ran to the window and saw one of the two putting bolt cutters back into the truck. About then, my wife opens the back door and yells what are you doing before I could say a thing. In the mean time I headed to the back bedroom and got my Mossberg 500 Breacher, loaded it, and went to the garage knowing they had to drive by it on the way out. I could hear my wife calling 911 so I was ready for what ever. As they drove past on the way to the street, the driver looked in the garage and saw me with the shotgun pointed right at him. I fired one shot over his vehicle ( made sure there was nothing in the pasture in front of him ) and then the two thieves, mexicans for the record, turned onto the paved street, gunned it, and I fired another over their vehicle. Deputy showed up about 30 minutes later and took all the info. I said nothing about the two shotgun blasts. I got my CHL today, but it is not worth killing someone over a theft, but it would be if they had used deadly force. Sad thing is they probably were married, had kids, but that doesn't occur to them. Probably a lot of this type in prison right now with their kids & wife on welfare. My wife could not believe that this had happened. Everyday I tell her that she is in the minority being a nice honest person and some day I will get her to the range. This was a real eye opener for her. If I had it to do different, I could have called the sheriff, waited until they just drove off, and followed them with the police in route.

[Rokyudai]

Wow, shots over the bow and everything!

Glad you both are ok. That's hopefully the last you see of them.

[roff]

did they only get away with the bolt cutters?

[Excaliber]

I said nothing about the two shotgun blasts. I got my CHL today, but it is not worth killing someone over a theft, but it would be if they had used deadly force.

You would do well to carefully review your CHL materials on when deadly force (as in discharging a firearm in the direction of a person) is justified.

I think you would have a very difficult time trying to fit the fact pattern as reported here into the lawful criteria for use of deadly force. Firing a shotgun at or near a fleeing vehicle under the circumstances described appears to be reckless conduct at best. This could well have resulted in serious injury or death to possible petty thieves who did not pose an immediate threat to innocent life, and criminal prosecution for you.

[KBCraig]

... the two thieves, mexicans for the record ...

Oh, so you checked their passports?

[bpet]

Can we assume that in their haste, they did not get the trailer hooked to the truck?

If they did, I see nothing wrong with over doing the lead on the tires on your trailer (after all, it's your trailer) and perhaps putting a couple of 12 gauge slugs through their truck bed. What are they gonna do, sue you?

[dihappy]

I said nothing about the two shotgun blasts. I got my CHL today, but it is not worth killing someone over a theft, but it would be if they had used deadly force.

You would do well to carefully review your CHL materials on when deadly force (as in discharging a firearm in the direction of a person) is justified.

I think you would have a very difficult time trying to fit the fact pattern as reported here into the lawful criteria for use of deadly force. Firing a shotgun at or near a fleeing vehicle under the circumstances described appears to be reckless conduct at best. This could well have resulted in serious injury or death to possible petty thieves who did not pose an immediate threat to innocent life, and criminal prosecution for you.

+1

Your actions were severely negligent.

[waffenmacht]

Yikes, did you sleep through your CHL class?

[longtooth]

The BGs are the only ones that are supposed to think it is alright if the cops dont get called.

If the shots fired ever come to light through a neighbor their could be repercussions even for dropping lead in an empty field.

[Sangiovese]

I think the fact that you intentionally omitted firing your shotgun when talking to the police shows that you realize it was a bad decision.

[longtooth]

Very correct here too.

[CainA]

I guess I'm trying to figure out what the point was of pulling the trigger on the gun. It's obvious in the story that they saw the gun, so I'm sure they got your point from just seeing that. I don't know if the trigger pull added any extra effect.

-Cain

[Wildscar]

I agree with that the two warning shots were not necessary. However what bugs me the most is that you had to load your shotgun first. Why happens when you need it and don’t have time to load it? Do you carry you Pistol unloaded too?

[sivart-dod]

I agree with that the two warning shots were not necessary. However what bugs me the most is that you had to load your shotgun first. Why happens when you need it and don’t have time to load it? Do you carry you Pistol unloaded too?