Homeowner Shoots Pedregosa Street Prowler

M1 carbine, made by Sprinfield & Universal (in my hometown of Hialeah, FL), the American AK-47, .30 caliber, affective range of accuracy 100-200 yards, scope mountable, available w/ 5, 15 & 30 round clips, wood stock & body, available in the paratrooper version w/ a folding stock, the auto version is the M2. AWESOME FIREARM! It was my mom's favorite weapon of choice.
Good for the homeowner, defending his family & property the way any decent person should. So how much do any of you want to bet that:

1) The suspect & his parents try to sue the homeowner he was trying to hurt.
2) A "social activist" lawyer takes the case pro-bono.

Good job by the homeowner, controlled firing against a moving & unstable target :) henry

Good job, homeowner. The one time I picked up an M1 it seemed WAY too heavy to control. I don't know how the GI's did it.

Good for the vet! Don't mess with those WWII guys! And Henry I wouldn't be surprised if either of those things happened, but based on California Penal code 198.5 I doubt they would have much of a case in this instance. In California a home resident has a right to use bodily harm or deadly force against an intruder who has forcibly or is attempting to forcibly enter the residence. The forcible entry is considered reasonable fear of imminent danger. The appellate court has consistently upheld this standard.

Yeti: "The one time I picked up an M1 it seemed WAY too heavy to control. I don't know how the GI's did it."

I could be wrong, but I think you're probably thinking the M1 Garand, it is a .30-06 w/ a 8 round box clip, is pretty darn long & packs a hell of a punch. It became the infantry weapon of choice for sniping during the Korean War due to it's ruggedness & durability as well as the ease of mounting a scope.
If the homeowner in this case used 1 of those he would've amputated the crook's leg w/ 1 shot easily.
The M1 carbine is a MUCH smaller rifle meant for trrops on the move, it was replaced w/ the M14 (.308 caliber, 14 round box clip & the thing weighed 14 lbs. fully loaded) & eventually the M16 (crap). I'll take the M1 (or M2 variant) carbine ANY day.

Num1UofA: "I wouldn't be surprised if either of those things happened, but based on California Penal code 198.5 I doubt they would have much of a case in this instance."

I hear you, but in an age & place that thrives on frivolous lawsuits & an atmosphere of making the victim the criminal, especially when said victim turns the tables on the attacker, you just KNOW the attempt is going to be made.
But you're DEFINITELY right, the penal code does stand as written & they can try all they want :) henry

IF (big IF) the prowler would have been black or hispanic and the homeowner white would the reaction have been the same? Ahem, Zimmerman, Trayvon.

Noozhawk says the homeowner is 54 yrs old, not old enough to be a WW2 or Vietnam vet, perhaps it was his dad's or he's just a collector.

Even with all that wood, I'm told the M1 is lighter than the current M4 carbine (which I've handled a few times @work). So probably less than 7 pounds or so.

EastBeach: "Even with all that wood, I'm told the M1 is lighter than the current M4 carbine (which I've handled a few times @work). So probably less than 7 pounds or so."

They're kind of around the same weight, but the M1 is sturdier than the M4 & packs a hell of a round (.30 vs. .223). It is also a very stable system due to the construction.
When people see all that wood they instantly assume HEAVY, but that's far from true. If you ever get to fire an M1 you'll be pleasantly surprised.

AZ2SB: "IF (big IF) the prowler would have been black or hispanic and the homeowner white would the reaction have been the same? Ahem, Zimmerman, Trayvon."

Was going to say that as well, kind of was going that direction w/ the comment about the perp potentially filing charges against the homeowner. But you're absolutely on to something valid there :) henry

If the DA files charges against the shooter (unlikely), I'll move back to Texas.

Not sure about the comparative field reliability of the M1 vs M4, maybe older is better. Army arsenal reps have told me they prefer the 5.56mm (.22) cartridge to the 7.62mm (.30) because the former's bullet has a tendency to tumble and cause a lot of damage.

The 5.56mm round is produced in much larger quantities for the US & NATO. So many light arms use that round (M16, M4, M249, etc). I forget what the production ratio in the factory is, but its pretty high. 7.62mm is still common for sniper rifles.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FxMig...

EastBeach: "Army arsenal reps have told me they prefer the 5.56mm (.22) cartridge to the 7.62mm (.30) because the former's bullet has a tendency to tumble and cause a lot of damage."

The .223 is a "tumbler round" that has a corkscrew effect when it hits. The only problem is the smaller the caliber, the tighter the tolerances so a grain of grit could lead to issues. I'm sticking w/ the M1. Seriously, that was my mom's favorite system, got to keep it in the family :) henry

If the DA files charges against the shooter (unlikely), I'll move back to Texas.

Adonis_Tate (anonymous profile)
April 11, 2012 at 11:33 p.m.

Adonis, here is my response to you're comment, turn up the volume.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dpzxsb...