united-states criminal-law florida
When does a warning become a threat?
<p>The other day while on a vacation I drove past a property and saw a sign that read</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Trespassers Will Be Shot On Sight</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I've never seen a sign such as that, I was a little taken back. After some research, it turns out that this type of warning sign is total legal (<a href="https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-legality-behind-the-Trespassers-Will-Be-Shot-sign" rel="nofollow noreferrer">the best answer I found on this</a>. Also, <a href="https://law.stackexchange.com/questions/13348/can-i-stick-a-dont-trespass-warning-on-my-house">onsite answer</a>).</p>
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<p>This got me thinking when does a <em>warning</em> become a <em>threat</em> and what consideration is used to determine one from the other?</p>

<p>A warning is arguably often a form of threat (and vice versa). The words are close synonyms. A threat, however, is usually used only in connection with an action that has some sort of human (or at least, AI) agency, while a warning often made to alert someone to a mere natural consequence of an action with no human agency (e.g. a warning that an object is hot and could burn you if you touch it).</p>
<p>But, the term &quot;warning&quot;, when used in connection with an action that involves human agency, is usually used when the action threatened would be lawful when taken (and often refers to a threat from a third-party rather than the person giving the warning), while the term &quot;threat&quot; is usually used when the action threatened would be unlawful when taken, or if the action, while lawful, is threatened for an improper purposes that amounts to blackmail (e.g. a threat to release legally taken photos showing that someone is having an affair if money is not paid). Also, a threat is generally made by the person who would take the action (or their agent), rather than a disinterested third-party.</p>
<p>Incidentally, a threat to bring a lawsuit, since a proper purposes of a lawsuit is to secure money from someone, is not improper to connect to a demand to pay money.</p>
