Just like most things that pertain to the law, self-defense is a complicated issue. Self-defense may not be a topic that you use your knowledge of in everyday life, however, it can be important to know. Let’s take a look at the legal defense for self defense.
The first thing that is important to note is that you must first qualify for self-defense in front of the law if you ever wish to use the claim. To qualify for self-defense there are different standards that you must meet and they vary from state to state.
Once you make that qualification it is the job of the prosecution to prove to the court that you did not act in self-defense, and it is your defensive job to prove that you did.
The most important part of the self-defense argument, is if your defense was reasonable. This means that you had no other choice but to defend yourself. The prosecution is going to want to look at if you had an opportunity to run away and escape the situation. If you were able to escape and you did not take the opportunity you may find yourself fighting a losing battle.
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