If you stabbed someone in self-defense, would you be arrested?
Arrested? Probably. Charged? That depends on the facts. Remember, when you claim self defense, you are admitting to something (in this case the stabbing) that is normally illegal, but saying that, because of the circumstances, you were legally privledged to do so.The exact analysis varies from state to state, but the basically, you would have to be able to answer yes to all of these questions…Were you the innocent party? In-other-words, was the other person the aggressor. Mutual combat or a fight that you started won't cut it.Were you faced with an imminent threat? That means a very real percieved threat that you must defend against right now.Was your response proportional to the threat? In the case of a stabbing, the threat that you were facing would have to have been a lethal one.Could you have avoided the threat? In-other-words, could you have simply walked/run away. This is not part of the analysis in “stand your ground” states but, even then, can influence the last inquiry.Lastly, were your actions reasonable? Would a mythical “reasonable person” situated in exactly the same position, react the same way that you did?I wrote out this whole analytical process because often think that actions are taken in self defence when, legally speaking, they are not.Realize that, even if you are justified, killing someone will have serious concequences. Beside jail time, you could face tens of thousands of dollars in legal bills, possible civil suits, loss of job, reputation, etc. That without even going into the emotional aftermath.If your life is on the line, do what you have to do. But, in the long run, life will be much better if you avoid such situations entirely.
Can you go to jail for pulling a gun on someone?
Lets say you have a concealed weapons permit , and some guy is trying to fight you , and you stick the barrel down his face and tell him to fck off , can he call the cops or something?
Is someone pulls a knife on me, can I legally kill them in self defense?
It depends. On all kinds of things.Not least of all the legislation this happens in.Generally speaking, a knife is usually considered a deadly weapon (although a one Inch pen knife might well routinely not be, depending, again, on legislation and circumstances). In most legal systems I know anything about, your assailant brandishing a deadly weapon will go a long way towards justifying your use of deadly force in self defense. But it won't suffice on its own.If you're standing ten metres and a busy city street apart, simply brandishing the knife will not be regarded a credible threat to your life - which is the standard often applied to when lethal force is permissible in self defense.Drawn during a fist fight between you two, a metre away from you, while shouting death threats? That's as close to a textbook case of a credible threat to your life as it gets...Not a lawyer, anywhere, not even cooking for a law firm or playing one on youtube...
What do i do if someone tries to rob me in a parking lot at gun point?
give them my wallet and run? what is the likely hood that they will shoot at me if i run? Also what if someone comes to my door and claims that their car has broken down and they need to use a phone - I'd be too scared to let a stranger into my home for fear of getting raped or something. On the other hand, i would like to give them the benifet of the doubt and help them in some way..