There is an excellent article at a blog called Cornered Cat, A Woman's Guide To Concealed Carry. The article, "Can I shoot him? Ability, Opportunity, Jeopardy" goes into the three elements each of which must be present for a valid self-defense claim: did the attacker have the ability to cause serious physical harm or death? Did they have the opportunity to inflict that harm?

The question was asked several different ways at the recent Cattlemen's meeting on whether it is lawful to shoot cattle rustlers and was answered by the Barry County Prosecuting Attorney. According to one of our NCOs, this was also discussed at this weekend's CCW training course with Jason Lacey in Mount Vernon. This article will repeat the short answer under Missouri law, address some of the complex side questions, and try to tie in how Auxiliary volunteers fit into the mix.