Abused wife "stands her ground", faces 20 years in prison

[slackmaster]

64. No, no, no. Not "shoot to kill." You don't EVER shoot to kill. Shoot to kill is Hollywood fantasy.

Last edited Mon Apr 23, 2012, 09:04 AM - Edit history (2)

You shoot to STOP a violent attack.

If you shoot to KILL someone you may be charged with an unlawful homicide.

The phrase "...with malice aforethought" is part of every state law definition of murder that I've ever read. If you didn't have killing in your mind, you did not have malice aforethought when you used deadly force, and therefore (at least theoretically) a charge of murder would not be supported.

I've learned a lot in self-defense training. The most important thing, I believe, is that you should do everything possible to avoid getting into a fight and having to use deadly force.

The philosophy I have learned with respect to using a firearm or edged weapon against a human is:

"Use deadly force only to protect something that you would be willing to die for."

That works, legally and morally, no matter what the law of the state you happen to be in says.