By Dakota Kalman
Staff Writer

Under the Stand Your Ground laws, an extension of the Castle Doctrine which allows deadly force to defend against an intruder without becoming liable to prosecution, any citizen has the right to protect themselves wherever they are legally allowed to be; however this does not necessarily mean it’s the right thing to do. Killing in “self-defense” makes everyone a victim.

Daniel Adkins Jr., a mentally challenged 29-year-old , was walking past a Taco-bell drive through on the night of April 3 2012, when another man pulled around to pick up his order with his pregnant fiancée sitting in the passenger’s seat. Adkins was alledgedly carrying a baseball bat and after a heated argument the driver, who feared for his and his family’s safety, drew a Smith and Wesson .40-caliber handgun and shot Adkins. Adkins died shortly thereafter at the scene. This is just one of the controversial killings that were in “ self-defense.”

Neshaminy English teacher Dan August reflectded ont the controversial law “I don’t think I’d go as far as shooting him. Going to that extreme isn’t necessary.” Where is the line drawn as to what is acceptable in self-defense? A split-second choice can make a large impact on the lives of everyone involved. This escalates a situation that may not have had to go so far and leaving victims in its wake.

There are many more killings like that of Adkins. On Nov. 3, shortly after 2 a.m., James Workman, elderly hurricane Ivan victim, was put into a situation where he shot and killed 35-year-old Rodney Cox. Cox stumbled on to Workman’s property asking for a drink of water. He wasn’t welcomed warmly. Cox was asked to leave but instead bolted into the trailer where Kathryn, Workman’s wife, was backed up against a kitchen sink.

In some cases, like the Cox case, both parties are victims and it comes to making a difficult choice: whether or not to take someone’s life in an attempt to save your own. Mark Dengler, a social studies teacher at Neshaminy, said “If someone breaks into my house, they have a serious problem.”

In 2007, in the town of Laredo, Texas a series of burglaries had been occurring in Jose Luis Gonzales’ house. so when four boys ages 11 to 15 broke in around midnight, Francisco Anguiano, 13, was shot in the back, dead, even when he was subdued. In cases like these juries must decide where the line between self-defense and murder. In Gonzales’ case, killing and abusing a subdued child for breaking into a home to look for snacks; was self defense.

When someone kills in self-defense, if it is self-defense, the situation escalates to a whole new level where there is no wrong party.

Ambrose Bierce , American writer, said “There are four kinds of homicide: Felonious, excusable, justifiable, and praiseworthy.”