As RCMP town halls continue around the province to discuss the issue of rural crime, some farmers are gathering on Facebook to call for changes and clarity on the law.

The Facebook group "Farmers Against Rural Crime" was created by Moose Jaw area farmer Nick Cornea just a few weeks ago, and now has nearly 8000 members. 

According to Cornea, members of the group have largely been effected by property crime, losing equipment ranging from pickup trucks and combines to fuel. 

"There was a few of us that had always talked about it," Cornea said. "and when I seen a video online about a farmer in Alberta that had a shotgun blasted over the hood of his truck after he persued some people that stole from him, that really woke me up and I said, 'there needs to be change, we need to do something about this'. So I fired up the computer and looked for more support from other farmers."

He added there have been several discussions about adopting American-style defense laws so that people have a right to harm intruders who pose a threat on your property. 

He said they're not looking for excuses to shoot people, but are trying to find a happy medium for what people can do to defend themselves. 

"We have people commenting about security systems and different pricing, we have people sharing their stories of what they have done with scaring people off," Cornea said. "and it's good to see that the RCMP is also starting to listen to us and see that this is an epidemic and this is something that needs to be addressed."

In recent town hall meetings, RCMP have told the public that using force against trespassers could be lawful depending on the situation, though stressed it's better to avoid confrontation.  As we reported in an earlier story, Moose Jaw RCMP have announced they will not be holding a public meeting in our area.

The Facebook group is also pushing for changes to the Youth Criminal Justice Act, specifically to keep repeat offenders in custody for longer.