Chapter definitions
This section explains what certain words mean when used in Missouri's self-defense laws. It defines things like what counts as a home, what deadly force means, what a forcible felony is, and when someone is considered to have entered a place without permission.
563.011. Chapter definitions. — As used in this chapter the following terms shall mean:
(1) "", a guard who works at a nuclear power plant, who is employed as part of the security plan approved by the United States Nuclear Regulatory , and who meets the requirements mandated by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission for carrying a firearm;
(2) "", physical force which the uses with the purpose of causing or which he or she knows to create a substantial risk of causing death or ;
(3) "", any building, , or of any kind, whether the building, inhabitable structure, or conveyance is temporary or permanent, mobile or immobile, which has a roof over it, including a tent, and is designed to be occupied by people lodging therein at night;
(4) "", any involving the use or threat of physical force or violence against any individual, including but not limited to murder, robbery, , , kidnapping, , and any forcible sexual ;
(5) "", includes any building, inhabitable structure and any ;
(6) "Private person", any person other than a ;
(7) "Private property", any real property in this state that is privately owned or leased;
(8) "Remain after entering", to remain in or upon premises after unlawfully entering as defined in this section;
(9) "Residence", a dwelling in which a person resides either temporarily or permanently or is visiting as an invited guest;
(10) "", any structure, fenced yard, wall, building, other similar barrier, or any combination of the foregoing that is located on the real property of a nuclear power plant and that is posted with signage indicating it is a felony to ;
(11) "Unlawfully enter", a person unlawfully enters in or upon premises or private property when he or she enters such premises or private property and is not to do so. A person who, regardless of his or her purpose, enters in or upon private property or premises that are at the time open to the public does so with unless he or she defies a lawful not to enter, personally communicated to him or her by the owner of such premises or by another person. A license to enter in a building that is only partly open to the public is not a license to enter in that part of the building that is not open to the public.
Tap any gold-underlined word to see what it means.
Source & history notes
(L. 1977 S.B. 60, A.L. 2007 S.B. 62 & 41, A.L. 2010 H.B. 1692, et al., A.L. 2018 H.B. 1797)
Legal information, not legal advice. Always confirm with the official source at revisor.mo.gov.