Robbery-burglary-theft-and-understanding-when-to-shoot-in-defense-of-property. If you have a license to carry, the time to learn about your duties and obligations is now, not in the middle of a shoot out. Secondly, one stop shopping is probably not going to do it. Read the Penal Code or state Statutes governing the use of force. Even better go to the library. In Texas, what you are looking for is Vernon’s Civil Statutes, Title 9 of the Penal Code, Use of force.
Texas law is guided by precedent. When the legislature got around to identifying a deadly weapon, they punted. According to state law a “deadly weapon” is anything made used or adapted to inflict serious bodily injury or death. Attorneys confronted with the same fact situation can devote pages and pages as to why or why not this definition should fit. The alternative is to go through prior cases with a similar fact situation. Where a similar weapon was used and the appellate court ruled it was a deadly weapon, you’re done.
As far as this article goes, I would take issue that “Robbery” is a property crime. It is not, it is a crime against persons, the key being the use of threats or force against a person in order to obtain property. There are a couple of other idiosyncrasies about robbery. There is no such charge as attempted robbery. The offense is complete the moment the robber pulls on his stocking mask and gets out of the car gun in hand. The other idiosyncrasy is the offense is not over once the bad guy’s butt settles in the seat of the getaway car. In robbery one has to reach a position of relative safety. So the escape could be complete in fifteen minutes or incomplete after fifteen days.
The more you understand about the law the more confident you will be, should a confrontation come to pass. As far as tactics, remember the bad guy does this for a living, this probably isn’t his first rodeo. Chances are there are no impediments to his ability to use force. The homeowner, on the other hand, is outside his comfort zone and faced with protecting wife, family and the dog. With a little planning it is possible make sure the outcome is best for you and yours.
My bias is to gather the family in a central location, say the master bedroom. As each bedroom is cleared, close and lock the door if possible. Now hunker down and wait for the police. It is simple math anybody moving around in the house has to worry about 1800 square feet a typical three bedroom house. A threat can come from any direction. If the homeowner is hunkered down his area of concern is 9 square feet, a thirty-six inch box centered on the doorway.
If worst comes to worst, when the police arrive they will find a dead burglar in the doorway to the master bedroom, with a progression of shattered doors behind him. Even the dumbest liberal should be able to figure out the rapidly cooling piece of meat on the floor meant no good to anybody.