Destroying your own stuff while arguing with the wife, or your significant other is being considered domestic violence. When the police arrest someone for it, it is becasue that person demonstrated a propensity for violence towards the other spouse. Even if the item broken was done out of frustration. Same goes for punching walls, kicking the side of the car, doing terrible things to the dog with a fork, etc. Even if you never lay a hand on the other person in the home, it's mental abuse because it creates fear in the person.
In Florida, the law states the police can arrest, if they believe that violence has occured, or is likely to occur or continue if an arrest is not made. This goes for both parties involved, and there have been many cases of both hubby and wife going to jail for hitting each other, even though the fight was "mutual combat". This then leads to those lovely domestic violence injunctions that brand you for the rest of your life and make it so you have to surrender all your guns and can't buy any more.
If you think it's the cops who are getting over zealous with the arrest, think again. The law in Florida is very strict. It basically leaves little room for discretion on the part of the police. The law states if they can make an arrest, they WILL make the arrest. The law goes so far as to state that if an arrest is not made, the officer must articulate why it wasn't in a written report. This means basically, they couldn't locate the bad person, because the guy or gal ran away from the scene. Then they are directed to refer charges to the State for prosecution and the state will issue a warrant for the person if they see fit. It's called "The Prefered Response to Domestic Violence" by the state. And if the wife or significate other happens to get a injunction issued (which isn't hard) don't even think about going near that person until the injuction expires, or is recinded by a judge. Even if you and the wife decide you want to work things out, you can still go to jail for violating the injunction if you go home or invite her over to your new abode. If she calls you and says she wants to let the whole thing drop, don't get close until you know the injuction is invalid. You can can go to jail for her comming to you and you letting her in. (There are cases where the wife has gone over to hubby's new place under the pretense of making up, and then saying he violated the order.)
We can all thank Mr. O.J. Simpson for many of the changes taking place. Not that he was the first guy to beat his wife and spark the debate over domestic violence. But he was the guy who made the most headlines over it and it caused a lot of reactions in legislatures to change the laws, so they wouldn't have it happen again.
You can still smash, break, mutilate, pulverize your own stuff all you want, long as it's not done during or because of a fight with the Mrs.