A Canadian man is facing prison time after defending his family and home from masked thugs who firebombed his home. Apparently firing two or three rounds from his Smith and Wesson revolver in response to his home being attacked is criminal in his neck of the woods.

His surveillance cameras caught the attackers lobbing at least six Molotov cocktails at his house and bombing his doghouse, singeing one of his Siberian Huskies. But when Mr. Thomson handed the video footage to Niagara Regional Police, he found himself charged with careless use of a firearm.

The local Crown attorney’s office later laid a charge of pointing a firearm, along with two counts of careless storage of a firearm. The Crown has recommended Mr. Thomson go to jail, his lawyer said.

The local police seized his weapons, leaving him and his family defenseless if the attackers return.

Believe it or not, this isn’t the first time in recent history that a Canadian has been charged with defending his property. In fact, one man was charged for tying up a shoplifter and demanding he stop robbing his store. He was luckily acquitted, but but another man was convicted for shooting at a thief who was trying to steal his vehicle.

Here’s the laughable excuse for this infringement on basic rights — rights that supposedly exist even in Canada:

Canada allows people to claim self-defence for using force, including guns, to protect their life as long as the force is reasonable and they believe they have no other options.

“If the public are wondering can you run out of your house and [fire a handgun at an intruder], the bottom line is, according to the laws of Canada, no, you can’t,” said Constable Nilan Dave of the Niagara Regional Police Service, which charged Mr. Thomson. “That’s why the courts are there, to give a person an opportunity to explain their actions.”

Got that? This real-life version of Slim Pickens’ character from Blazing Saddles says shooting at people who are firebombing your home isn’t legitimate self-defense.

To be clear, Thomson wasn’t even trying to kill the attackers. He’s a firearms instructor. He just wanted them to stop attacking his home and endangering his family. And for that he’s facing prison time.

I think Glenn Reynolds has this right:

So the Niagara Regional Police are a bunch of clowns. Or just corrupt. Noted.

Question for the police: If protecting your home from firebombing attackers isn’t legitimate self-defense, what exactly qualifies as self-defense in Canada?