CloudCover said:
https://www.ontariocourts.ca/decisions/2020/2020ONCA0151.htm
Pay attention to the storage of the shot gun, and the supposed use of military training. Bear in mind, please, that a person is dead and the reason given is the accused only sought to protect his spouse while a crime was committed on his property.
His shotgun was possibly stored contrary to the
Storage, Display, Transportation and Handling of Firearms by Individuals Regulations. According to the Court of Appeal's summary of the facts, "Mr. Khill kept a shotgun in the closet of his bedroom". If that closet had a lock on it and "kept securely locked", then the storage would be in conformity with the regulations. It was not stored loaded, I assume, as it says he got ammunition from elsewhere in the bedroom and loaded the shotgun.
As for the use of Mr. Khill's military training, it appears that his defence lawyer used this in much the same way that police use their training as favouring a finding that their actions "are reasonable in the circumstances" when they've been involved in a shooting. As the Court of Appeal noted "[c]ounsel for Mr. Khill stressed that the training triggered a mindset in dangerous situations that emphasized proactive responses intended to gain control of the situation." Frustratingly (to me), this seems to result in police being held to a lower (rather than higher) standard than untrained citizens ... i.e. they are taught to see threats and therefore are more likely to feel the need to use deadly force. But it makes complete sense that his lawyer would use it this way since the exact same reasoning is used for police frequently (and is usually used before charges are even laid to decide not to charge -- I have seen this several times in SIU reports to this effect).
Going back to the overall "gun debate" from what is outlined by the Court of Appeal, it sounds like the jury made the right decision. A man should have the right to arm himself to defend his home in uncertain/dangerous circumstances. When the guy he's approaching spins around and looks like he's going for a gun, you have to make a split second decision which should get every benefit of a doubt IMO. It's unfortunate the Court of Appeal gave the Crown a second crack (especially since they granted the appeal on a ground that was never objected to the prosecutor at trial).
EDITED TO ADD: I want to be clear -- when I express frustration at my perception of a double standard for police and civilians, I'm not saying police should be held to higher standard necessarily. Everyone she be held to a lower standard when it comes to self defence IMO, than is often the case.