How to protect yourself, your family & your belongings during a home burglary

Dissecting Wisconsin's Castle Law and more

January 10, 2019 1:23 PM

Christina Lorey,

Posted: January 10, 2019 1:23 PM

Updated: August 31, 2021 12:26 PM

by Christina Lorey

How to protect yourself, your family & your belongings during a home burglary

MADISON, Wis. — You might have heard of Wisconsin’s Castle Law, which says you can use deadly force if you believe someone is going to cause substantial harm or even try to kill you at home, your place of work, or even in your car. However, that protection doesn’t necessarily extend beyond those walls.

While lawmakers want to allow people to protect their homes, they didn’t want people to try to take the law into their own hands and potentially hurt other people.

Local gun safety training experts like Brian Landers say just because you can use a gun in a situation doesn’t mean you should.

“I’ve advised people in concealed carry training that just because you have a weapon or you have a gun, is it always the best to produce it or use it?” said Landers. “You’re introducing a gun into a dangerous situation, and there’s a lot of things that could go wrong, obviously.”

According to Landers, people also need to remember that shooting a gun in real life is a lot different than what we see on TV, and someone can still do a lot of harm to you after being shot. He recommends calling 911 if you feel like your home is in danger before trying to take matters into your own hands; police can get to the scene in minutes and are better trained to handle those types of situations. Landers also cited examples of guns being wrestled away by criminals.

“Every homeowner and every person that arms themselves has to really think long and hard about not only the legal consequences, but also the physical and moral consequences or that decision,” said Landers.

Before anything happens to you and your family, Landers recommends you take some precautionary measures, like making sure your home has good outdoor lighting and that all your locks work.

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