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Questions tagged [self-defense]

Legal allowance to use force to protect one's self. May encompass rights to use force to protect one's property or the person or property of others.

Canonical answers:

159 questions
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What crime is hiring someone to kill you and then killing the hitman?

Suppose that yesterday I was suicidal and decided to hire a hitman on the internet to kill me. Today, when they turn up, I have changed my mind and defend myself by killing the hitman. What crime(s) have I committed? This is completely…
Rod
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Is it legal to use force against a person who is trying to stop you from rescuing another person?

Alice has been severely injured or is otherwise in danger. Eve wants to help Alice, but Bob is somehow preventing her from getting to Alice. Assume that Bob is not threatening to harm Eve; he is only preventing her from helping Alice. Perhaps Eve…
Someone
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Am I allowed to kill a person threatening me? CA, USA

You are riding a public transit train and out of nowhere a man with blue jeans takes out a P99 semiautomatic pistol and takes the passengers hostage. Luckily you have a knife on you. But you don't know whether it is legal to kill a person under such…
Ashley Madison
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Is it true that a teacher can't engage/attack a shooter from behind during a school shooting that is in progress?

I have a cousin who is a teacher and a few years ago we had a long discussion about school shootings and part of this discussion was about what teachers can and cannot do during a school shooting that is in progress. One thing she told me is that…
user39281
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Am I legally able to use lethal force against a police officer in defense of another?

Hypothetically, let's say I come across a police officer about to discharge his firearm at a person laying face down on the ground, hands in my clear view, clearly (to me) unarmed and apparently complying with the officer's instructions. Am I…
thunderblaster
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What happens if I shoot a police officer in self-defense during a SWAT raid?

No-knock SWAT raids are very popular, especially in the US. But how do you know that the heavily armed persons are policemen? Isn't it very easy to mistake them for robbers? What if I try to defend myself and my family and start shooting, killing…
Grunzwanzling
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How does the concept of self-defense work in a court of law? Who has to prove what?

Let's suppose Person A gets injured by Person B and says, "He attacked me for no reason and injured me." Person B says, "Yes, I injured Person A, but I was attacked by him for no reason and just defended myself." There are no witnesses, so all you…
Mitsuko
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Is it legal to take an attacker's illegal gun?

Suppose that Bob, with no justification, draws a gun¹ and aims it at Bill. This gun is illegal to possess in their jurisdiction. Bill, who was unarmed initially, manages to overpower Bob and take the gun before Bob can fire it. Has Bill committed a…
Someone
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Is a person breaking into your house an automatic threat on your life?

If someone has broken into your house, is that an automatic threat to your life? Which means lethal force with a claim of self-defence is going to be accepted by law enforcement?
Neil Meyer
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Is it legal to hack a hacker back (in the US)?

I was wondering if it's legal to do what most people call a "hack back." Suppose someone tricked you into downloading software onto your computer that was designed to steal your data, but it was advertised as an online security software. Then you…
Blue Herring
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Does the "stand your ground" law regarding shooting an intruder apply when the door of the dwelling was not locked?

I was wondering, suppose someone enters a dwelling uninvited in a state that has a stand your ground law (or as I am being correct on, Castle Doctrine). If the door was not locked, would the homeowner (or renter) be justified in shooting (and even…
David
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Can you legally defend yourself against an attacking police officer?

If a police officer physically attacks you, with or without intent to arrest, can you legally defend yourself? Assume that the police officer punches/kicks/grabs first, and you are not guilty of any crime before the attack. To what extend can you do…
TheEnvironmentalist
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Do criminals have the right to defend themselves from vigilantes?

Consider this scenario... An unarmed thief snatches a bag from a victim in a public park. The thief flees, pursued by members of the public. The thief trips, falls over and sprains his ankle, he's now more or less defenseless. A crowd surround him…
ConanTheGerbil
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Can you ever be certain that you will not be tried for an alleged crime?

Suppose someone is involved in a self-defense altercation where the other party ends up dead. As far as I understand this could result in one of the following outcomes: The police investigate and a DA determines that no crime occurred unofficially…
shellster
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Is it legal to use force against a person who is illegally trying to disconnect a hospital patient's life support with intent to kill the patient?

Alice is visiting Bob, who is on life support in a hospital, when Mallory comes into the room and tries to disconnect Bob's life support with intent to kill Bob. Is Alice allowed to use force against Mallory to protect Bob? There is no euthanasia…
Someone
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