Something occurred to me

Earlier this year the Governor of Maryland actually signed a watered down castle doctrine law. SB 411. It granted some immunities from damages when force, including deadly force, is reasonable under the circumstances to repel an attack, to the home owner/resident justifiably defending themselves in their own home. It’s not nearly as good as Texas’, but this is Maryland and beggars can’t be choosers. It took years to pass, but pass it they did and it goes into effect on Oct 1 2010.

But… One thing I overlooked… This is a concession, for the first time I believe, that modern liberal Maryland granted/recognized/accepted its citizens have a right to self defense. There might be other statutes that grant this that I am unaware of. I am certainly no lawyer. But this one certainly cedes such.

It’s a foot in the door. Grant this in people’s homes and you can be backed into a corner that people have a right to defend themselves outside their homes. Add that argument to the pile of “Why do cops, cash business owners, and friends of the Governor get to defend themselves, but I can’t? Is their skin particularly more precious than mine? Are they just better people than me and my neighbors when we are outside? You’ve ceded self-defense isn’t a privilege in the home, why are you still treating it as a privilege outside the home?”

It’s not the end, but it moves the ball the correct direction down the field. And it can be built upon.


The momentum for Maryland is toward Texas, not toward gelded England. Which is very good because we'd been headed toward England for a long time