In 2004, an Irish farmer named Padraig Nally came upon an itinerant with a long rap sheet trespassing on his property.

Soon, a physical confrontation ensued between the interloper, John Ward, and the homeowner, who extricated himself from the fight long enough to run off and grab his rifle. He returned, firing two shots into Mr. Ward, killing him on the spot.

Mr. Nally would be charged with murder and manslaughter. He’d beat the murder charge but would get six years for manslaughter. Eleven months later, however, he would win his freedom, after an appeal and a retrial – based on precisely the same facts set out in the original trial.

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The case touched off an often emotional debate in Ireland over a person’s right to defend himself and his property. Not surprisingly, those living in the country rallied to Mr. Nally’s defence, many expressing “there but for the grace of God go I” sentiments. One issue to emerge was the role of the police, specifically their inability to get to calls in rural areas quickly, leaving farmers and others stranded with would-be thieves for 45 minutes or longer.

Six years ago, largely in response to the rancorous national discussion the Nally case incited, the Irish government brought in new legislation allowing homeowners to use “reasonable force” to defend themselves against intruders. The act does not, however, define what “reasonable force” is, which has upset some who believe it leaves the door open to people shooting anyone who comes onto their property unannounced. Irish law, though, still maintains an extremely high threshold for justifiable homicide.

I mention all this in light of the current debate going on in this country over precisely the same issue.

While it’s been a matter simmering beneath the surface in Western Canada for years now, it exploded recently over the death of a young Indigenous man, Colten Boushie, in Saskatchewan. Gerald Stanley, the farmer who shot and killed the 22-year-old Cree man, was acquitted at trial. And this week, the Saskatchewan government announced it would not appeal the decision, further angering the Indigenous communities devastated by the original verdict.

The rural anger and frustration so evidently on display during the Gerald Stanley trial has jumped the fence. Alberta has its own case that will focus attention on a couple of the same contentious issues put under the spotlight in Saskatchewan: escalating crime rates in non-urban communities and a person’s right to defend their property.

Edouard Maurice of Okotoks, Alta., is alleged to have shot a man in the arm. Mr. Maurice maintains the man was rummaging through vehicles on his property in the early-morning hours one day last month. Mr. Maurice has been charged with aggravated assault, pointing a firearm and careless use of a firearm. He was scheduled to appear in court Friday. Many of his rural neighbours believe he shouldn’t have been charged at all.

Dismissing that viewpoint as the typical attitude of hicks and rednecks would be easy – and unfair. While there are certainly farmers who believe they should be able to shoot people who are unlawfully on their land with menacing intent, many don’t. They understand that if they pull a gun on a robber, that robber might have a bigger gun. There is no possession worth losing a life over: No one should be killed for trespassing, and no material object is worth a homeowner getting killed himself.

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That said, most of us can’t comprehend the fear with which many ranchers and others abiding outside our urban centres now live. Property and violent crime is up in some rural areas in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Where I live, I can have the police to my house in two minutes if I hear someone outside. I can’t imagine what it would be like knowing they wouldn’t make it for a half-hour or more.

Farmers and ranchers have always possessed an independent streak. That instinct to protect what is theirs is deeply ingrained. The notion that they are supposed to sit back and watch someone steal their truck or walk away with some expensive piece of farm equipment, rather than challenging the person, is anathema to their very existence.

This issue is not going away any time soon. There are likely to be more confrontations that test the will of those living in the country, people who are unquestionably more vulnerable than the rest of us. They feel abandoned, looked upon as the bad guy in this story.

What they want is some understanding and some help.