What the accused thinks is reasonable is irrelevant. You might think it reasonable to shoot me to shut me up (and I might well agree.....) but when the accused is quite so plainly 'eccentric' (I'm being charitable and not using words like deranged, unhinged, or insane) the definition of what is and is not reasonable must, quite rightly, lie with the jury.
Re parking. Were I to shoot you for deliberately parking on double yellows outside my home (I don't have any double yellows, but bear with me) or even on my drive, or in my garage it would patently be an insane, disproportionate and unreasonable act on my part. The fact that you had deliberately gone out with the express intention of breaking the law, committing trespass, or breaking into my garage would be irrelevant.
I find it interesting that those who so vocally campaign for Martin choose to ignore his past record (whereas that of Barras is paraded as being of supreme relevance) and his far right political leanings and links.
You chose to label me as a tired old hack and questioned the 'nobility'of my profession. Fair enough. You also chose to post a tirade about gypos 'forefeiting' their rights and then got pompous (inviting me to look at your profile) when I drew the obvious inferences from that ignorant and ill-educated piece of prejudice. My reference to blunties was to tip you the wink that I had indeed checked your profile. I'm horrified that anyone who holds a commission in HM Forces should express some of the views that you have done, especially with regard to the desirability of vigilanteeism and with regard to gypsies.
No-one here has expressed the classic liberal argument. Not even me! We all seem to agree with SpruceMoose's statement: "I despise burglars" and would all want burglars to be properly punished for their despicable crimes. I suspect that most of us would agree that force (and even lethal force) is sometimes reasonable. But it seems that to agree with SM's belief that he "doesn't want to live in a country where any loon can fatally wound someone with a shotgun" (let alone to despise oily, greedy white collar criminals with equal vehemence) marks one out as a peddlar of dangerous "pinko nonsense".