My Property Line IS My Perimeter
"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED."
PATRIOTIC LANDMINE OWNERS OF AMERICA
Without a perimeter defense, a Stand Your Ground law is just a Stand Your Ground law for people who happen to be home.
The Argument They Can't Answer
The United States military uses the M18A1 Claymore mine. You know what's printed on the front of every single one? "FRONT TOWARD ENEMY." That's labeling. Clear, specific, responsible labeling. The United States Army — the most powerful fighting force in the history of this planet — looked at a pressure-actuated antipersonnel device and said: the responsible thing to do here is to tell people which way it faces. Steve Hendricks believes in clear labeling. Steve Hendricks believes that responsible property owners should be able to communicate to potential trespassers EXACTLY what they're walking into. A "No Trespassing" sign does part of the job. Imagine what we could accomplish with the FULL system.
Castle doctrine. We all know it. Your home is your castle. You have the right to use deadly force to defend it. In most of this great nation, you have no duty to retreat from your own property. A criminal who enters your home may be stopped with lethal force. That is settled law and we are proud of it.
But here is what no one has the guts to say: A MOAT IS JUST A WET LANDMINE FIELD. Every medieval castle worth its salt had a moat. And a portcullis. And murder holes. And boiling oil. Nobody called the castle lord a criminal for setting up passive defensive perimeters around his property. The principle is the same. The technology has improved. The government just doesn't want you to have access to the improvements.
In 2020, President Trump withdrew the United States from Obama-era restrictions on landmine use. That is a good start. That is the RIGHT direction. We applaud it. But it only applies to the MILITARY. The civilian population — the people who actually LIVE on the property that needs defending — are still completely excluded. What use is it for the Army to have landmines if the homeowner in Pensacola can't protect his three-quarter-acre lot from the same threats? Steve Hendricks sees this as progress and also as insufficient.
The United States signed the Ottawa Treaty in 1997 — a global ban on antipersonnel landmines — and then partially unsigned it. The government's position has bounced back and forth for thirty years, depending on who's in charge. What does that tell you? It tells you that SOMEONE in Washington understands exactly how useful these devices are. And it tells you that the debate is not about safety. The debate is about WHO is allowed to be safe. The answer has consistently been: the government, yes. You, no.
If you can shoot a trespasser on your land, you can set a passive device that does the same job while you sleep.
The Facts They Don't Want You to Know
The M18A1 Claymore directional antipersonnel mine has the words "FRONT TOWARD ENEMY" embossed on it's face. This is a federally mandated safety feature. The most powerful military in the world looked at an explosive device and said: the responsible thing here is LABELING. Steve believes in labeling. If responsible mine ownership requires clear marking so neighbors and family members don't accidentally step on protected areas — Steve is completely on board with that regulatory framework. He'll put up MORE signs than anyone requires.
Anti-personnel landmines are classified as destructive devices under the National Firearms Act (26 U.S.C. § 5845(f)) due to their explosive components. The NFA already has a framework for registering destructive devices. Tank cannons. Grenade launchers. Bazookas. The framework EXISTS. The tax stamp system EXISTS. A responsible American should be able to pay the $200, pass the background check, and register a defensive perimeter device for their property. The law already knows how to handle this. Congress just hasn't gotten around to allowing it. YET.
In January 2020, the Trump administration withdrew U.S. forces from Obama-era restrictions that limited military use of antipersonnel mines outside of the Korean Peninsula. This was the right call. The military should have every tool available. But the civilian homeowner — the person the Second Amendment was actually written FOR — remains completely disarmed from a perimeter defense standpoint. Steve views 2020 as a good first step and is eager to see the policy extended to it's logical endpoint: the American homeowner.
The Ottawa Treaty (Mine Ban Treaty) was opened for signatures in 1997. The United States never ratified it. But U.S. policy has fluctuated — Obama restricted landmine use in 2014, Trump reversed that in 2020. The back-and-forth demonstrates one thing clearly: both sides of the aisle understand how effective these devices are. The only question is whether effective perimeter defense is a government-only privilege. Steve's position: NO IT IS NOT. The Second Amendment does not have a footnote that says "unless the weapon is really good."
Stand Your Ground laws exist in 38 states. They remove the duty to retreat when facing a threat on your own property. A landmine is the physical embodiment of Stand Your Ground. It does not retreat. It stands. On your ground. And it responds to threats. The philosophical alignment is perfect. The legal alignment is the part that's lagging behind. Steve intends to close that gap through the democratic process, not by running from it.
A "No Trespassing" sign costs approximately $5 to $15 and has a deterrence rate that we charitably estimate at somewhere between "low" and "it's a nice sign." An antipersonnel mine has a deterrence rate — once news spreads that a property is actively mined — of approximately 100%. Nobody enters a mined property twice. Nobody who enters a mined property talks about it later to a friend who might want to try. This is what deterrence looks like when it actually works. The government understands deterrence — their whole nuclear arsenal is based on it. They just don't want it working for YOU.
The United States military has an inventory of anti-personnel mine systems and maintains research and development into new technologies — including Volcano mines deployable by air and FASCAM systems for large-area denial. The government is actively developing better landmines while telling you that the concept of a landmine on private property is too dangerous to contemplate. Steve would like someone to explain the logic there. He'll wait. He has time. He's sitting on his porch watching his (currently unprotected) property line.
Castle doctrine has been recognized in American law since before the republic. "A man's home is his castle" is not a figure of speech — it is a legal principle with roots in English common law dating to the 1600s. Actual castles had actual moats. Actual moats had actual hazards — spikes, mud, water, sometimes crocodiles. Nobody in 1200 AD filed charges against a lord for maintaining an effective perimeter. The technology has changed. The principle has not. Steve is simply a man who believes in keeping up with the times.
"A man without a perimeter defense isn't a man with a castle. He's a man with a house and a sign and a prayer."
— Steve Hendricks, Executive Director, Patriotic Landmine Owners of America / Absolute Second Amendment Foundation