What Can You Do According to Florida Concealed Carry Laws?

What's Up Sheepdogs? Ryan here with Tampa Carry.

What would you do if someone followed you home, climbed through your window and launched into a violent attack? 

On April 26th 2021, a mother and her teenage daughter were spending some time together shopping. After a long day they decided to head home to relax for the evening. 

What these women int realize is that they were being hunted by a hungry wolf who had followed these women home and was patiently waiting for them to go to bed. 

After several hours of patiently waiting the wolf decided it was time to attack. He slowly approached the home and carefully checked each door and window hoping one was left unlocked. 

Finally he found a window that was unlocked so he slowly pushed the window open and climbed inside the home. 

Slowly the wolf searched the kitchen looking for the sharpest knife he could find before launching into his attack. 

What are these two women legally allowed to do according to Florida Concealed Carry Law? Let’s ask ourselves the big questions. 

The Big Questions

How Could this Situation Have Been Avoided? 

Unfortunately this is a true story that occurred just a few days ago in Largo Florida. Very little about what led up to this incident has been released by the police but we do know a few things for sure. 

First the wolf, a 19 year old man named Sage Curry, followed these women home after spotting them in public. 

The second thing we know for sure is that Curry was able to gain access to the home through an unlocked window. 

What Self Defense Options Could have been Used? 

Personally If I found a strange man inside of my home with a knife all self defense options would be on the table. 

Does this Scenario Fall Under the Castle Doctrine? 

Florida Statutes 776.013 (4) A person who unlawfully and by force enters or attempts to enter a person's dwelling, residence or occupied vehicle is presumed to be doing so with the intent to commit an unlawful act involving force or violence. 

Was the attacker entering or attempting to enter a residence? Yes

Is the attacker entering or attempting to enter unlawfully? Yes, Curry did not have a legal right to enter or attempt to enter the woman’s home. 

Is the attacker entering or attempting to enter by force? I’m not sure, according to the statutory definition for forcible entry; 

Florida Statute 82.01(1) forcible entry means entering into and taking possession of real property with force in a manner that is not peaceable, easy or open, even if such entry is authorized by a person entitled to possession of the real property, and the possession is only temporary or applies only to a portion of the real property. 

The window would need to be shut for this to be considered a forcible entry. 

Is the use of deadly force a reasonable response? Yes, if someone enters my home uninvited I would believe that the use or threatened use of deadly force would be a reasonable response. 

In order for this scenario to meet the requirements of the Florida castle doctrine law the two women would need to be able to answer yes to all four questions above. Because we are unable to determine if the wolf entered the home by force the Florida castle doctrine law may not apply to this situation but that doesn’t mean the use of deadly force is taken off the table. Let’s take a look at this same situation and see if it meets the requirements for using deadly force found in the Justified Use of Force Statute. 

Does this Scenario Fall Under the Justified Use of Force Statute? 
Florida Statutes 776.012 (2) A person is justified in using or threatening to use deadly force if he or she reasonably believes that using or threatening to use such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the imminent commission of a forcible felony. A person who uses or threatens to use deadly force in accordance with this subsection does not have a duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground if the person using or threatening to use the deadly force is not engaged in a criminal activity and is in a place where he or she has a right to be.

Do you have a responsible belief of imminent death? Yes, a strange man is inside of the home holding a knife. Personally I think it is very reasonable to believe someone was going to die within seconds.

Is the use of deadly force necessary? Yes, J personally only knows of one way to stop a crazy person with a knife and that’s to shoot them in the face. 

Are you in a place where you have a right to be? Yes these two women are inside of their home where they have a legal right to be. 

Are you engaged in criminal activity? No, these two women are not engaged in criminal activity, 

I personally believe that this situation would meet the requirements for using or threatening the use of deadly force under the Florida Justified Use of Force Statute. 

Where is the Line in the Sand? 

The line in the sand is the point at which these two women would have no other choice but to pull out a firearm and use deadly force. For me this line would be as soon as I identified a stranger inside of my home uninvited. If this happened I would immediately pull out my firearm and yell the command STOP. If the attacker refused to stop or if I identified a weapon I would open fire. 

What Would You Do? 

What would you do if you discovered a strange person inside of your home? When inside of your home do you have quick access to a firearm in an emergency? Do you have early warning systems in place to alert you that someone is attempting to enter your home? What would you do? 

The Rest of The Story 

At approximately 2 a.m. Largo Police received a phone call about a young man who had been injured. When they arrived on the scene they discovered Sage Curry at a neighbors home suffering from knife wounds. 

The officers immediately realized that something was not quite right so they decided to enter the home of our victims. 

Once inside they discovered that both women were dead. 

Curry later admitted to climbing through the window and searching the kitchen for the sharpest knife that he could find. Then he approached the first victim while she was sleeping and began stabbing her in the chest. 

This is when the other victim realized that something strange was happening and walked into the room. The second victim immediately attempted to defend her loved one by attacking the wolf. 

During the fight Curry was injured with the knife but that didn’t stop him from stabbing the victim multiple times in the neck and face. 

Conclusion 

At the moment it is unclear what motivated Curry to commit such a violent act on these two women. 

This situation is a perfect example that the wolves are always hunting. They are bidding in the shadows looking for the young, the old, the sick and the weak. The wolves are looking for the perfect opportunity to strike. 

Please make sure you are ready before the violent attack occurs. If you do not have your Florida concealed carry permit you need to get it. If you don't have a dedicated firearm for home defense you need to get one. 

I also encourage you to stand outside of your home and think how a wolf would think. Identify the weak points of your home that make it easy for the wolf to gain entry and then harden these areas. 

Don’t wait until it’s too late, take action to protect yourself and your loved ones today. 

That's all I have for today. So until next time keep training and stay safe...

Ryan G. Thomas

P.S. You’re one step away from getting your Florida concealed carry permit….FAST & EASY…

And for a limited time you can watch the concealed carry course online for free... Click here to get started...