Stand Your Ground or Duty to Retreat

[Oneka]

15. For me

knowledge of the law of , use of force, in MN where i live, has allready changed my mentality. I studied the pertinent laws in my state both before and after i got a carry permit. If I, am the target of an attack, my answer to that is simple, I do whatever it takes to "end the threat" if that means retreating, i will do it, if it means using force, i will do that instead, sometimes retreat is not an option. "Stand your ground" law wouldn't change anything in a situation where i , alone, get attacked.

It get much trickier, if i am in a situation where i see someone else getting attacked.

Allow me to set up a scenario: I am in a convenient store with the clerk, i am in a back aisle getting a soda from the cooler.
An armed man storms in, fires his gun at the ceiling,aims it at the clerk, and demands money,with a threat of death if she does not comply. The clerk is in an island and has no place to safely retreat to.
There is a door which leads to an exit, through the storeroom, 5 feet away from me.

In MN it is legal to use force to defend another person, not just myself. All of the same,common law, rules apply to defending another person, as apply to defending myself.

I have several choices.

1: do nothing.
2: crouch down and hope the robber doesn't see me, and wait.
3: immediately call 911.
4: run out of the store and keep running.
5: run out and call 911.
6: initiate the use of force, to end the threat of the armed man, on the clerks behalf.

With the law as it stands in MN i could choose any of the first 5 with no personal consequences, provided the robber doesn't turn his attention toward me.

Choice number 6 could save the life of the clerk, but could land me in personal hell, with criminal, and civil proceedings costing untold
thousands. This choice could also get me killed, if the armed man shoots me before i end the threat.

Governor Dayton recently vetoed a very strong "stand your ground" bill, in MN.
That law would have made it very difficult for police to arrest and prosecutors to charge me if i chose number 6 in the above scenario. I won't say which choice i would make in that scenario,with MN law as it is, but a good solid "stand your ground" law would make choosing to defend another persons life a whole lot easier, for me.