"There is a case for penalizing the setting of dumb "booby traps"I believe that would be Katko v Briney (183 N.W.2d 657) A man (Briney) booby-trapped an abandoned shack with a spring gun after some robberies. The spring gun went off and shot Katko in the leg when he broke in looking for some old mason jars. Katko sued, Briney lost.
http://www.newsaic.com/mled.html
My father in law is an attorney. He says that prohibitions against "spring guns" and other lethal traps go way back to British common law.
They took on new importance during the Great Depression when folks would sleep in farmer's barns.
Bottom line: just don't do it.