text: in the canadian criminal code it says... does that mean...? in the canadian criminal code it says:  "every one who is in peaceable possession of a dwelling-house, and every one lawfully assisting him or acting under his authority, is justified in using as much force as is necessary to prevent any person from forcibly breaking into or forcibly entering the dwelling-house without lawful authority."  does that mean you can shoot them, hit them with a baseball bat, etc. till they die to get them from breaking in? you are only allowed to either get them to stop trying to break in or incapacitate them. killing them is rarely necessary. though, if you do kill them in the process, as long as they went straight from breaking in to dead, you would not be liable.