I believe the magic phrase folks is, "I was in fear for my life. I thought he was going to kill me." One of the main effects of a major adrenaline dump is short-term memory loss. You simply claim not to remember the events -- the investigators won't be able to prove otherwise.

I live in Oklahoma. We have what we affectionately call the "Make My Day" law. If someone breaks into your house, their life is pretty much forfeit. State legislators are currently looking at possibly expanding the bill to be in-line with Florida's recent "Stand Your Ground" law.

We also have a concealed carry law, but it has been bastardized pretty badly though. My favorite item is any business can place a sticker on their door indicating no concealed weapons. If you have a concealed carry permit and go in, it's a felony. If you don't have a permit, it's only a misdemeanor. Not exactly sure how that works... I guess the guy with the CCW permit should have known better. There was a lawyer who taught a section of the course. While the law is written as "what would a reasonable and prudent person do", she told me my martial arts training would almost definitely be used against me in both criminal and civil court if I ever needed to use a concealed weapon, citing other less-lethal means available for dealing with the situation. So, there's no real point for me to pursue it further.

It's simply not worth the amount of time and money involved to stop a punk kid from stealing my stereo. There's the lawyers, time off work for court, new carpet, paint, etc. Hell, if you want my stereo you can have it. If you want my car, hell take it too -- it's insured. If my family is in immediate danger though, I will utilize whatever means are at my disposal to prevent their harm.