Our interpretation of the various laws, regulations and restrictions pertaining to survival, self-reliance and self defense. Please note that we are not lawyers, and this is NOT legal advice.
Castle doctrine is an important concept in modern self-defense law. Although rarely called as such by name in state statutes, the working concept of such laws is that a person’s home is their “castle,” and that they should have every right and expectation to safety while within their own home. Accordingly, if attacked inside their …
Throughout the nation, castle doctrine laws are an idea or a standard to aspire to, not necessarily a specific text to be copied and pasted into a state’s law books. Put another way, all states that can be said to have castle doctrine laws word them a little bit different but the effect is broadly …
If you must use lethal force in self-defense, it is imperative that the law is on your side, and more than that, that you know it. In some states, what should be open and shut, clear-cut cases of self-defense can be turned into legal circuses for the beleaguered defender who will have every action that …
Castle doctrine laws are one of the most hotly contested, but also most popular, concepts in the United States regarding self-defense. Presently, about three-quarters of the states in the US have some form of castle doctrine law, and Louisiana is among them. Happily, Louisiana doesn’t make any bones about it when it comes to defending …
West Virginia is yet another state that has dependable self-defense laws on the books, including the functional equivalent of a castle doctrine laws. However, compared to other states that we have covered in this series West Virginia does not have one or two specific sections that codify its castle doctrine. Instead, West Virginia laws generally …
Wyoming is possessed of uniformly excellent self-defense laws, including a robust stand your ground statute. Citizens in Wyoming may use force and self-defense, including deadly force, so long as it is reasonably necessary to stop a corresponding level of unlawful force used against them, or the commission of certain forcible felonies, namely home invasion, carjacking, …
Iowa’s citizens enjoy a clear, succinct “stand your ground” law in the state’s statutes. Citizens are allowed to employ force, including deadly force, against any unlawful use of force against themselves or someone else so long as they are in any place they have a legal right to be and are not engaged in the …
In recent years, Washington is a state that has become increasingly known for draconian governmental policies on everything from taxation to land use, and it is no wonder that many defensively minded folks have such a negative opinion of the place. However, as it turns out Washington has surprisingly solid laws concerning self-defense, and even …
North Dakota is yet another state with excellent self-defense laws, including a robust “stand your ground” statute that has benefited from further improvements thanks to the passage of North Dakota bill HB 1498. Citizens are allowed to use force, including deadly force, in defense of themselves, someone else, or an occupied dwelling, or to prevent …
Montana has some of the best all-around self-defense laws in the nation, including a formidable and clearly codified castle doctrine statute. Broadly, citizens may use force including lethal force, in self-defense of an occupied structure so long as they are doing so to prevent the commission of any forcible felony to any occupant of the …
