Authorities: Boy shot while trying to burn Gorham home

Unless Maine law has been changed in the last few years, attempting to set on fire an occupied building, gives those inside the right to use deadly force as torching the occupied building could easily kill those occupants.

WC

That's crazy talk, Bob S.!

Initial response Good!
Bad thing is the little demented criminal will be handled by a juv. justice system that considers him as one of those kids who isn't a bad boy!

if the kid is still alive then the homeowners need a bigger gun or more practice on the range. We will be paying for this one for a very long time.

We will be paying for this one for a very long time.

How so?

Title 17-A, §104. Use of force in defense of premises
2. A person in possession or control of premises or a person who is licensed or privileged to be thereon is justified in using deadly force upon another person when and to the extent that the person reasonably believes it necessary to prevent an attempt by the other person to commit arson.

Looks justified so far.

Good for the homeowner. We need more of this and perhaps the bedwetting liberals will finally get the message that we loyal and hoinest hardworking Americans are fed up with the " poor baby" BS.

I think Joe means that likely if this person does survive the monetery costs of his medical treatment and his living from this point forward will be on the taxpayer's nickel--local, state, federal or all of the above.

Bob, I couldn't believe they actually put the part about having an NRA sticker and flying an American flag. A blatent attempt by the writer to use the story to attack gun owners. I sent a link of the article to Drudge, Malkin, Limbaugh, Hannity, Beck, and Ingraham. I hope they bring attention to it.

This appears to be more personnel ,I bet the little pyro didn't make the team or some such thing!!!

I emailed reporter at paper and asked if she would have described SUV if it had "I support same sex marriage" sign on it ?????

I have a Romney sticker and a Tea Party sticker on my car. Maybe I should remove them?

I fly the Continital Flag, some call it the Bunker Hill Flag, but most people don't even know what it is anyway.

Apollo do not think you have to worry in all likehood there are many other items described by and to alert fellow liberals who you are. !!!! lol

Maybe by describing the car and its stickers the reporter was warning criminals to stay away from houses like this and that it would be much safer to look for a Prius with an Obama/Biden sticker along with a rainbow sticker.

I sent a link of the article to Drudge, Malkin, Limbaugh, Hannity, Beck, and Ingraham. I hope they bring attention to it.

Did you also mention to those folks that Democratic Representative Chellie(!) Pingree's husband owns that paper?

This is great. Every stupid thing the paper does, and there will be plenty, will now be able to be placed right at Chellie's(!) door.

lol.

Next time a liberal gets mugged, I fully expect the Portland Press Herald to describe in detail all the lame bumper stickers on the victim's car.

Well there was a bit more info in todays PPH regarding this incident. The boy apparently had a vendetta with a boy who lived in the home. The attempted arson was to the porch and the gun used was a shotgun.
This raises even more questions in my mind. Shooting at someone on your porch with a shotgun could very easily be fatal. A shotgun up close is extremely dangerous. If he had gotten off the porch and started to run away then he was shot in the back. In the old days they would have used rock salt and let the distance be great enough to allow the salt pellets break the skin and drive home the point that you had done something very wrong.
As is usual the media does a very poor job of reporting what really happened. We probably will never know the truth until someone who was present speaks out.

A "porch" is part of a house. Any fire on the porch would very likely torched the entire place. It is my understanding that if someone is attempting to burn an occupied dwelling, that those inside have the right to use deadly force.

I am not sure just where the young man was when he was shot, whether he was on the porch, or running away, which might make a difference. But, when he picked up a can of gas, and matches, and decided to burn an occupied dwelling, he took a hand of cards in a very dangerous game.

The courts will likely decide if the shooting was justified or not, but what are you supposed to do if you catch an arsonist in the act of torching your home, with you and your loved ones in it?

No question what I would have done.

WC

Setting fire to someone's home is a stupid, dangerous act, and the act of a psychopath. This wasn't kids tipping cows or teepeeing or egging the house.

While that, in itself, may not have been adequate reason for giving the little punk a severe peppering, I think under the circumstances the homeowner was justified, and I feel little sympathy for the arsonist who I suspect has only started his long career of crime and social parasitic behavior.

I don't understand why the paper felt the need to add the following.

At 8 Mountview Drive, a black sport utility vehicle with a National Rifle Association sticker was parked in the driveway. A basketball hoop was set up, and the Bassingthwaites displayed an American flag.

Well Bob S., here's my spin;
Typical liberal ( how do we blame the right wing ) spin. First , "MOUNTVIEW", oh! they are those Mountain people! Freedom fighting mountain people. Bad, bad.
"Black utility vehicle" just in case they have to make a run for it in the rough country. bad. bad.
"NRA" see, I told you so. guns, guns, guns. bad, really bad.
Basketball hoop, nice place to hang fresh deer kill. bad,bad. ( Poor Bambi) Also a pro American sport. would have been better to see signs of tennis or co-ed naked LaCrosse.
American flag, the symbol of everything that liberals hate. BAD,BAD, really BAD.

The press is liberal and this is the indicator of how they think.

Bets on how long it takes for the boy's parents to sue the homeowner, or the person who shot him?

Rumor says the shooter may have been an alert neighbor, not the homeowner.

Calvin, you've got it wrong:

The "Mountainview" piece denotes money, since most people cannot afford such an affluent location.

Otherwise you're spot on.

Jeepn, my bad. You're right. But I fool'em. I drive a Volvo. ( think about that for a minute and the political picture it draws.)
A silver Volvo, '94, no wheel covers, NRA sticker, 257,000 miles, nothing electrical on it works right, and it has a value of at least $750. ( but it still rides like new)

Anyway, it is disturbing how un-necessary info sifts into a news report that has nothing to do with the story.

I have a Romney sticker and a Tea Party sticker on my car. Maybe I should remove them?

At least one of them Apollo, make up your mind. :)