<P> By its terms, the statute does not apply to criminal prosecutions . </P> <P> The General Assembly enacted the statute nine years after an incident that occurred on the night of March 19, 2001, in which one or both of the co-owners of a cement company in Glyndon, Maryland opened fire on three intruders on the company's premises, killing one of them and wounding the other two . The company's premises had also been burglarized the two previous nights, and the two co-owners (who were brothers) were staying overnight at the business to guard it . In February 2004, the estate and young son of the deceased intruder sued the two brothers and their company for damages . According to online records of the Maryland court system, the plaintiffs dropped the lawsuit on January 28, 2005 . It is not stated in the online records whether or not the case was settled . </P> <P> Within days of the shooting in 2001, bills were introduced in each of the two chambers of the General Assembly to shield business owners from civil lawsuits for deadly force against a person "who unlawfully and forcefully enters" the business . The state Senate passed its bill, but the House of Delegates took no action on the measure or on the bill that had been introduced in the House . In 2004, 2005, 2008, and 2009, the House of Delegates passed bills on the subject, but none of the bills made it out of committee in the state Senate . The statute that the General Assembly enacted in 2010 had wording that was different from the language of the prior bills . </P>

Can i shoot someone on my property in maryland