Halloween Precautions

[War Beagle]

You can shoot someone for criminal mischief at night in the state of Texas and not face criminal prosecution. I wouldn't recommend doing so and you would likely face severe civil consequences. You might still face criminal prosecution if the prosecutor is creative.

[nana053]

Originally Posted by Ghost Town

Previously I used to rent apartments, so trick or treaters never bothered me before. Halloween almost did not exist there. But last Halloween I spent in normal residential area at the house party and saw how different it is in non-rental neighborhood: lots of kids coming in and out.

Now I own a house too, but in kind of tough area so here it is better to watch out and keep gun loaded all the time. Halloween night is a good opportunity for any sort of criminals to do their business covered with masks/costumes but without drawing police attention. Also one person told me that his property was vandalized by some angry kids during Halloween night (they splashed paint on his garage door).

How to prevent trick or treaters from coming at my door? In parallel thread I saw if your porch light is off, they are not supposed to come: is this correct? How well it normally works?

If somebody is breaking in through my door, and I know for sure that in next few seconds the door will fall off, can I legally shoot intruders through the door? And also if somebody trespassed into my backyard with unknown intent, can I legally shoot them?

By the way, I still don't have CHL, and it is unclear to me what is a legal borderline around my house where I don't need CHL to shoot back. As far as I know, if I am in a backyard and there are criminals shooting at me from outside, I can shoot back without need for CHL. But what for example if my car is parked not in garage but near the front door in a public driveway and I am caught by enemy fire somewhere in between my front door and the car? Can I use my gun legally without CHL in this zone?

What in the heck makes you think that trick or treating is going to bring out criminals? It's mostly kids with parents. Sometimes you get teenagers, but you don't have to give anyone anything - just leave your porch light off and most people will not bother you. Most kids go to homes that are decorated, have porch lights on or who are neighbors they know.

You are seriously paranoid, imo.

[hendersj31]

If you are talking about Joe horn although he was not convicted he definitely was being considered for indictment as well as death threats and a bunch of other headaches. My sister in law lives a few blocks away and tallks to him and said it was a big mess even though he wasn't convicted\charged with anything.

Originally Posted by Ghost Town

Well I heard story that few years ago someone in Houston shot a couple of thieves who did not even enter his house; they were trying to break into his neighbor's house. So he shot them dead and never had any legal issues. Pretty nice

[txdemo]

I'd recommend putting the gun away and listening to Gregorian Chants until the demons leave your body.

[PedroMartinez]

FYI, this thread made me curious at to whether crime is worse on Halloween. I found this:

Does the Crime Rate Spike on Halloween? | news @ Northeastern

Northeastern University Professor James Alan Fox argued that from 2006 to 2009, the violent crime rates for Boston, Mass., spiked on three dates each year: New Year’s Day, Independence Day and Halloween.

Writing for the “Crime and Punishment” blog at Boston​.com in 2011, Fox stated that not only was Halloween a horrible time for criminal activity, it was the worst.

I only post this because I found it interesting.

[Ghost Town]

Originally Posted by nana053

What in the heck makes you think that trick or treating is going to bring out criminals? It's mostly kids with parents. Sometimes you get teenagers, but you don't have to give anyone anything - just leave your porch light off and most people will not bother you. Most kids go to homes that are decorated, have porch lights on or who are neighbors they know.

You are seriously paranoid, imo.

Man wearing Scream mask shoots and kills Brooklyn teen
Last Halloween a man wearing a ghost-face mask that resembled the killer in the movie Scream shot and killed 19-year-old Anthony Seaberry on the streets of Brooklyn, NY. The case remains unsolved.

Man answers front door on Halloween, is shot to death

Back in 1957, Los Angeles resident Peter Fabiano was having marriage problems with his wife Betty that led her to briefly leave their house and shack up with a woman named Joan Rabel. After Peter and Betty reconciled and she moved back in with him, Rabel became consumed with jealousy. She conspired with another woman, Goldyne Pizer, to murder Fabiano on Halloween, reasoning that it was the best night of the year to wear a mask without engendering suspicion.
13 Brutal Halloween Murders (NSFW) | Thought Catalog

You got the point, right? Halloween night is the best night of the year to wear a mask without suspicion from police.

And recently I confronted some drug dealers/gang members living nearby, so this is a great time for them to come with revenge.

[Ghost Town]

Originally Posted by PedroMartinez

FYI, this thread made me curious at to whether crime is worse on Halloween. I found this:

Does the Crime Rate Spike on Halloween? | news @ Northeastern



I only post this because I found it interesting.

Thanks for sharing. Interesting info.

[txdemo]

I'm scared. Maybe we should just skip over Halloween and go directly to November.

[testmo]

You may possibly be able to shoot someone for criminal mischief without criminal penalties but not in cases where one "lays in wait" for the mischief to take place. Ie. Man leaves garage door open hoping to catch someone checking out the car at night and kills them. Was he convicted yet? Hes been facing manslaughter (?) charges for a long time

OP posting hypothetical examples of what could happen, can I shoot then questions is something a defense attorney would love

The old line of dont be looking for trouble and there wont be any is a good one to follow