Ten minutes later, D hits P with a snowball, in retaliation. D may not use force to avoid harm which is not imminent , unless it reasonably appears that there will not be a later chance to prevent the danger. If D uses more force than necessary, he will be liable for damage caused by the excess. In fact, the burglar is not armed. But if the owner's mistake is about whether the intruder has a right to be there, the owner's use of force will not be privileged.
D asks P to leave, but P refuses.
But a homeowner is generally allowed to use deadly force against a burglar , provided that she reasonably believes that nothing short of this force will safely keep the burglar out. If the gun shoots an actual burglar, and state law would have allowed D to shoot the burglar if D was present, then D will not be liable for using the spring gun. That is, the owner must act without unreasonable delay. A learns that B has stolen a stereo and is in possession of it. The force used must be reasonable, and deadly force can never be used.