On last night's episode of The Ezra Levant Show, criminal lawyer Ian Runkle, who has a special interest in firearms law, joined Sheila Gunn Reid—filling in for Ezra Levant—to unpack the legal condition of the Ontario Lamborghini owner charged after using a firearm to defend his property against alleged car thieves.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford recently came out in support of the man, calling for protocols similar to America's castle doctrine to be implemented in Canada. Meanwhile, details remain unclear about the attempted theft and the owner's culpability.

"They've charged him with what they've described as 'discharging a firearm,'" explained Ian Runkle. "Now, discharging a firearm is a problem because there's multiple 'discharging a firearm' offences. It could be discharging a firearm at a person, if he was shooting at them. That would put him, you know, pretty clearly outside the law… But they could also be [charging him with] discharging a firearm recklessly, which could, for instance, be firing warning shots into the air. That would be ultimately something the court would have to decide, if it was reckless."

Runkle went on: "The law does not allow for lethal force in defence of property, but warning shots in defence of property have been supported by case law. Now, I don't recommend warning shots as a general principle, but if you're ever in a situation of firing a warning shot, make sure it's as safe as possible—like not into the air, into something that is a backstop. Because, both morally and legally, once you pull a trigger, you own that bullet and the consequences of it up until it stops somewhere."