Purely depends on the state, county and township you are in. It is best to know your state and local laws.

That being said depending on the situation even it wasn't legal the prosecutor may not press charges anyway.

Gun laws get very crazy in some states. Some states will let you carry a gun, but its still illegal to use it in most situations.

In some states if you shoot someone they better be IN your house and armed, and you better not have an assault rifle or some other modified weapon that makes you look like you were "waiting" to shoot someone.

Your best bet is to call your local county/state police or your prosecutors office and ask them what would happen. Sometimes what is moral isn't always legal and vice versa.

I have a relitive in Ohio that went to prison for shooting someone that was in his front lawn with a weapon threatening him. He opened up a window and shot him with a 12 ga and dropped him in the front lawn. When the police showed up they confiscated the weapon and took him to jail. In other states this would have been perfectly legal.

Paul