Gun owners need to be responsible

The outcome of Markus Kaarma’s trial in Missoula this week offers some lessons in how far people can — or cannot — go to defend themselves or their homes.

Kaarma’s murder conviction for the shotgun slaying of a 17-year-old German exchange student demonstrates the limits to the so-called “stand your ground” law. This self-defense principle, also known as the castle doctrine, allows people to defend their home against attack.

Kaarma’s attorneys invoked this in his defense, but the Missoula jury decided otherwise.

The verdict underscores that the castle doctrine does not give you the right to bait your property to try to lure in burglars, as Kaarma did.

And it certainly does not give you the right to plan and execute a homicide. Remember that Kaarma famously told a hairstylist that he had been “up three nights with a shotgun waiting to kill some kids.”

His wish came true when Diren Dede entered the trap in Kaarma’s garage, tripping a motion detector and leading Kaarma to unleash four blasts from his shotgun .

Yes, you can use deadly force in Montana to protect your property — but that is not carte blanche to commit murder, as Kaarma found out.

“What the jury’s saying here is, you have a right to defend yourself, but this isn’t reasonable,” University of Montana law professor Andrew King-Ries told The Associated Press. “Lots of people have guns here, and lots of people feel very strongly that comes with a responsibility to handle your weapon appropriately.”

Kaarma’s case should be a lesson in appropriate home defense and the use of firearms in that defense. He crossed the line and deservedly will pay for it.

Editorials represent the majority opinion of the Daily Inter Lake’s editorial board.