Office of the Attorney General explains Castle Doctrine to Dededo residents during village forum
As part of their “protect one another” Q&A Outreach series, the Attorney General and his team spoke directly with Dededo residents to clarify their rights under Guam's laws.
Saturday morning at the Dededo Senior Center was part lecture, part town hall for concerned residents who have had enough of feeling unsafe in their own village.
Vice Mayor of Dededo Ann San Agustin Leon Guerrero said, “Events like this are about more than just law: they are about connection.”
Attorney General Douglas Moylan didn’t mince words.
From repeat break-ins to violent attacks, he says the thread running through the majority of them is meth.
“I firmly believe that it’s the meth epidemic that is changing good people into people that can no longer control themselves,” said AG Moylan.
So with more residents considering home defense, the AG’s Lead Investigator, William Salisbury, lays out the universal firearm safety rules.
They are:
- Treat every firearm as if it was loaded.
Before handing someone a firearm and when receiving one, always make sure it’s unloaded and clear.
- Never let the muzzle cross anything you are not willing to shoot or destroy.
Keep the weapon pointed in a safe direction.
- Keep your finger off the trigger and along the frame of the weapon until you are ready to fire.
This prevents you from unintentionally firing.
- Know your target and what’s beyond it.
Positively identify your target as you intend to shoot.
“New users must practice the rules so they become second nature. Experienced users, people who’ve been around firearms, cannot become complacent,” said Salisbury.
The conversation was also about when, how, and whether to use them at all.
Guam's Castle Doctrine gives people the right to use reasonable force, including deadly force, to protect themselves and their families against an intruder in their home, without fear of criminal prosecution or civil action.
“Everybody has a fundamental right to protect themselves,” said Moylan.
Its protections include the curtilage of a residence, the area immediately surrounding a home used for family purposes.
However, the property must be enclosed or have clear ‘no trespassing’ signage.
Attendees posed sharp, situational questions from proper gun storage rules to registration for households sharing a single firearm.
While opinions on enforcement vary, the message in Dededo was unambiguous: Know the law, know your rights, and know the weight of the responsibility that comes with both.
