  A third argument for (MR) appeals to liberty (Simester and Chan 2011, 393–395). Consider an offence that prohibits damaging other people’s property. If the mens rea requirement is one of intent, \(D\) is free to knowingly take risks with \(V\)’s possessions. If the mens rea requires awareness, \(D\) is free to put \(V\)’s possessions in harm’s way without giving thought to the risks. If there is no mens rea at all, no amount of care will help \(D\) if she causes property to be damaged. These examples help show that mens rea requirements affect the range of options legally available to \(D\). Obviously enough, the degree to which we should care about taking options off the table depends on how much value they have. This makes the liberty-protecting role of mens rea especially important where criminal responsibility extends beyond paradigmatic cases of wrongdoing. Consider the law of complicity. Under what conditions should S be criminally responsible for participating in wrongs committed by P? Imagine it is sufficient that S realises P might act wrongly. Anyone who sells goods that are liable to misuse is then in danger of being turned into a criminal by their customers. Shopkeepers must run the gauntlet or close their doors. Narrower mens rea requirements enable them to both stay in business and ensure they remain on the right side of the law (Simester 2006, 591–592).