Hi, I'm new to the forums and new to knives. I live in Houston Texas and after seeing one of the threads that the laws on illegal knives apply when you leave your property, I purchased a set of throwing knives and stars. My question is, if my house gets broken into, would I be fined or thrown in jail for using an illegal knife or star to defend myself or my family?
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Question
- Thread starter Shadowed
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- Dec 6, 2012
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Howdy! Luckily both you and I both live in one of the many states that have a castle law. In Texas, this allows deadly force against intruders and thieves to protect lives and property. Now if you would do jail-time for using illegal knives, I'm not sure about. I wouldn't hesitate to use them if I had to protect my family against an intruder. If I were you, I would just go buy a gun for self-defence against an intruder...mainly because I can't throw a knife correctly to save my life lol, but hey thats just me.
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Not tryin' to be a smart ass but why would ya wanna throw your SD weapons away, you'd be better off with a baseball bat if you can't legally own a gun, even a hatchet or framin' hammer would be better choices to anything you have to throw.
It's very dificult to fling a throwin' star or knife effectively or accurately under a stressed situation, It's a lot easier to swing a chain or bat.
One last bit of advice I have for SD at home, you know the layout of your home so keep the lights off and exploit your familiarity of your dwellin', the intruder most likely would be bumpin' into stuff and trippin' in the darkness where you'd have the advantage.
Invest in some type of alarm system, even a dog or a bird would alert you to an intruder givin' you precious seconds you could use to arm yourself, notify 911 and if needed effect an escape.
Keep this in mind also, you never know what an intruder might have as an offensive weapon, if he brought an automatic pistol, your throwin stars/knives will leave you at a great disadvantage.
It's very dificult to fling a throwin' star or knife effectively or accurately under a stressed situation, It's a lot easier to swing a chain or bat.
One last bit of advice I have for SD at home, you know the layout of your home so keep the lights off and exploit your familiarity of your dwellin', the intruder most likely would be bumpin' into stuff and trippin' in the darkness where you'd have the advantage.
Invest in some type of alarm system, even a dog or a bird would alert you to an intruder givin' you precious seconds you could use to arm yourself, notify 911 and if needed effect an escape.
Keep this in mind also, you never know what an intruder might have as an offensive weapon, if he brought an automatic pistol, your throwin stars/knives will leave you at a great disadvantage.
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- Jan 8, 2012
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- 368
I don't think throwing stars would penetrate enough to disable or kill an intruder anyways. The best idea would be to look up the laws in your area to find out.
Thanks for the replies! I actually haven't had a break in in about 10 years. I plan on getting a rifle of some sort or pistol. The question was just hypothetical. I've actually gotten good at throwing stars but you make a good point about being under stress.
Home defense? 12 or 20 gauge Remington 870 or Mossberg 500-series pump shotgun, loaded with OO buckshot, would be your best bet by far. Unless you are prohibited under state and/or federal law from possessing a firearm, why would you want to limit yourself to knives for home defense?
Besides the poor strategy is using throwing knives in home defense, we're actually talking about two completely separate areas of law here. The laws on knives are strictly about carry, and were designed to prevent "hoodlums" from going around armed in public ready to commit acts of violence. These laws have no effect whatsoever on the ownership and use of knives on private property.
When force is used by a homeowner to repel an illegal invader, it's all about the force and situational matters. The weapon used is judged strictly on it's appropriateness to the threat faced. Knives in general are classed as deadly force, and therefore should only be used against a deadly threat. If any legal action were to arise out of using throwing knives against a burglar, it be strictly based on if that was appropriate force, not because the weapon used incidentally is not legal for public carry.
When force is used by a homeowner to repel an illegal invader, it's all about the force and situational matters. The weapon used is judged strictly on it's appropriateness to the threat faced. Knives in general are classed as deadly force, and therefore should only be used against a deadly threat. If any legal action were to arise out of using throwing knives against a burglar, it be strictly based on if that was appropriate force, not because the weapon used incidentally is not legal for public carry.
Thank you, this was very helpful.
Throwing knives and stars aren't the only "illegal" knives I have. I have daggers and push blades, throwing knives and stars were just the ones I used in my question. Yes, why would I limit myself to just knives to defend my family? If it so happens that my house gets broken into, I don't plan on using a knife. Please don't assume that's my intention.