Could the "Stand Your Ground Law" be applicable here?
Not that I would use it, because I don't carry. Mainly because I don't trust myself with a gun when I get pissed. :grin:
It might be, but what if it isn't? Most of those laws state something along the lines of a person not having to back down or run away if confronted. What they don't do is.protect someone from an overzealous prosecutor or civil liability.
I will say this: If at any point, one thinks, "I wonder if this is the right thing to do." The answer is probably NO. When it is right, there won't really be time to think about it. When that time exists, that means there is also time to explore other options. THAT is what will get armchair quarterbacked to death. Supreme Court rulings exist for law enforcement involved in deadly force situations to prevent using hindsight. Don't know about regular people who are not in a LEO capacity.
What I do know is this: If you shoot someone, you better have $100k just lying around. If there are criminal charges, it will cost $30k IF the evidence can get you cleared by Grand Jury. If it goes to trial, the sky is the limit. Good attorneys are $250/hour and up.
The civil case is a whole other deal. As an example, the "go-away" rate for Law Enforcement in NM is between $30 and $50k. Meaning, you file some half-assed lawsuit, and even if it's mostly BS, the agency's insurance will pay you $30-$50 to go away. That is cheaper than paying the attorneys to go to trial and possibly paying the plaintiff attorney fees. Do you have a huge rider on your insurance to cover a judgement against you? How much is your house worth?
Remember those guys whose lives were destroyed because they shot someone and the media got ahold of it? Whatever you do, DO NOT be that guy.
