Booby Trapping Your Home

[RocketManJames]

This might sound really stupid, but I was wondering if anyone here or someone they know has done this... I suspect this would be illegal, but that would only be a guess.

Say you booby trapped your own home. Assume you don't have a family (no kids, at least) and anyone you invite in is 100% aware of your place.

Things like:

Special cans of a specific brand of soda that are poisoned.

or...

Maybe a timed explosive device in some of your electronic equipment that is triggered when it is removed from its base... like after removal from the base, it starts a 72 hour countdown or something.

The purpose of this would be to harm burglars, but would obviously have the side-effect of harming others.

Anyone?

And, NO... I'm not planning on doing this at all, as I think it's kind of nutty. But, I'm sure people have done it, and wanted to hear any personal stories.

-RMJ

[d10]

Sounds like a bad idea, but something I'd probably still like to do, because if someone steals my stuff I'd like the satisfaction of knowing it will kill them.

[beenben]

yes it's illegal.

[astroglide]

i recall a story about a shopowner getting repeatedly burglarized that set up some sort of electric fence underneath the hatch they were breaking on the roof. it killed the burglar, and the story went that he was prosecuted and lost. for something less blatant, i'm sure you could claim it was an unlabeled science project or whatever. still dumb.

[Inchoateposter]

I booby trapped my house.

[Inchoateposter]

Actually, I think I just get enormous glee from boobies. I don't want to pluralize them as boobies though, so I'll say that boobys make me happy.

[microbet]

I don't know the legal cases, but you can obviously booby trap property with electric fences and killer dogs, but it seems like it's important to post warnings.

I assume there is some standard of reasonableness and obviously of your intent not being to kill, but to protect your property.

[KAknight]

It is illegal. Situations like if your house catches on fire one night and a fireman comes in to rescue you, he falls in the tiger pit in your living room. That's why firemen hate tigers.

[RocketManJames]

[ QUOTE ]
a fireman comes in to rescue you, he falls in the tiger pit in your living room. That's why firemen hate tigers.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ha ha, that made me laugh.

So, what kind of booby traps do you think would be more likely legal? We need to just post up warnings and it's okay?

-RMJ

[N 82 50 24]

This sounds awesome, I'd love to do this to my house some day. Meaning things like a timed explosive when removed ... but I don't think I'd want to live with explosives wired up all over my house, so I'd have to think of something different. It's a good idea in theory though (meaning a fun idea, not a smart idea).