Posted by
NOTLEGALROADKILLYET on Thursday, February 15, 2007 12:36:07 PM
For more than a decade, Colorado has had a very successful "Make My Day" law that allowed citizens to protect themselves in their own home.
About two years ago in Colorado Springs, a nearly 80 year old woman unloaded her revolver on someone trying to break into her home. She wounded him, and it was later discovered that he was a serial rapist of older women. In short, the law worked as it should have.
Now, Rep. Cory Gardner, R-Yuma has introduced a bill to extend the law to businesses. It has passed out of the House and into an uncertain future in the Senate. Our politically schizophrenic sometimes conservative but often liberal Rocky Mountain News, supports the law.
I particularly liked its disapproval of what happened to one business owner:
Which brings us to the case of Christakes Christou, who owns the Funky Buddha tavern in downtown Denver. Early in the morning of Jan. 3, 2006, Christou lay in wait inside the bar after it closed, hoping to catch whoever it was who Christou said had burgled the establishment several times before.
Surveillance tapes showed a transient indeed broke into the bar that morning. Christou shot the man, who subsequently recovered and was charged with second-degree burglary.
But the bar owner was initially charged with attempted murder. He later entered a plea agreement that placed him on two years probation and required 50 hours of community service.
Christou's defenders say he should have never been prosecuted at all. We haven't seen the tape, but certainly business owners should not have to stand aside when someone breaks into their establishment and signal for the fellow to help himself. Nor is it wrong for someone who's endured repeated break-ins to act as a sentinel on his own property.