Suppose you had a handgun or long gun in your home for sporting purposes. If you were attacked in your home by a criminal using lethal force, such a knife or an illegal firearm, could you use your sporting arm to defend yourself? Would you be prosecuted for using the firearm for self defense?
Well, that's an interesting question. As the law of self defense is written, you are allowed to use "necessary force" to protect yourself. This should mean that if someone came into your home with a clear intent to kill you, and you happened to have a gun available (guns have to be locked away if you are not using it) then according to the law, you should be allowed to use it for self defense.
In reality, the courts decide what necessary force is, and as far as I know they always come down on the side that it wasn't necessary. So should you use a weapon to defend yourself, you probably would be facing jailtime.
There was actually a case here fairly recently where a youthgang had repeatedly harassed a family for several years, and then came out to their remote home late at night, drunk and armed with wood logs, threatening the family that they were there to "settle it". The family called the police, who refused to come, and it ended with the father getting his shotgun and going outside to face the intruders. Two of the youths were shot, one died, and the father was promptly prosecuted for manslaughter on the premise that he opened the door to face them and that he reloaded after he fired the first two shots. He only got off because his lawyer claimed insanity induced by strong seditives and alcohol earlier in the evening. But the case is appealed, he might still be convicted.
There's also a case up north were a landowner scared away a thief, and fired a warningshot with his shotgun, and a recoil hit the thief in the leg. I believe he has charges pending too. (The landowner, not the thief)
I do know of other cases where people have used guns to protect themselfes, but in all the cases where they weren't prosecuted it was because no shots were fired, or none of the attackers were ever found. Usually it's cases like older people in rural areas having intruders come inte their homes, and when they grabbed their rifle the intruders ran.
So in reality, should you use a gun to defend yourself here, you will most likely get convicted for it, and loose all your weapons.
Viking,
I've heard about that provision for self defense, but I actually didn't know if it was a real law or just an urban legend. It's in one of the Carl Hamilton books, I believe.