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By stan_sipple

Will judges and prosecutors who opposed Missouri's new self-defense laws, Chapter 563, RS MO. be able to re-write jury instructions to negate them? Gun Thing Forum. Missouri amended its self defense laws, Chapter 563, Revised Statutes Missouri, A.L. 2007 S.B. 62 & 41 to allow people in their homes to defend themselves from intruders. 563.031. 1 allows the use of physical force the target person reasonably believes is the force necessary to defend himself from a person he reasonably believes threatens him with unlawful force. 563.031. 2(2) allows deadly force (563.011 (1)) if the target person faces the situation in Section 1 and he is in a dwelling he lawfully occupies. The law allows deadly force to protect property only if the target's situation also meets the conditions of 563.031. In the words of a Jackson County public defender, "the new (self-defense) law clearly was intended to ?take out the mind reading? by jurors. If someone is in your house illegally, you can use deadly force ? end of story,? she said. Almost: the target of the home invasion still must justify his use of any force according to the conditions that he has a reasonable belief physical force is necessary to protect against a threat he reasonably believe is imminent. Just in the case of home invasions it may be deadly force

Full post as published by Showmeblawgs on December 29, 2007 (boomark / email).