Originally Posted By: celler
From a legal point of view, it seems like an attempt to use non-lethal force would go a long way toward absolving the homeowner from liability.


It depends.

If you use a non-lethal force option and then end up using deadly force, you might face the accusation that it wasn't a deadly force situation at all. After all, you wouldn't have used a non-lethal option in that case.

Statute and case-law vary state by state, and different prosecutors have different attitudes. Consult a competent attorney in your jurisdiction.

Speaking tactically, unless you have a lot of irritant gas that you can deploy quickly, I don't think you'd be able to deter a large angry mob that way.