Why Someone Should Not Have the Duty to Retreat

Posted on July 19, 2013

Defense of life is the right of every living human being. A person has the right to defend themselves and others against any aggressor. Forcing some to have to try and retreat before they can use force unjustly infringes on that right to defend life because it gives the aggressor an undesired advantage.

The aggressor already has an advantage over the victim because they have the benefit of knowing what their intentions are, to cause harm to the victim. The victim is at a disadvantage because they don’t know what the aggressor is planning or what the aggressor is capable.

The victim therefore should not have to give the aggressor another advantage by leaving themselves vulnerable by retreating.

I’m by no means advocating a shoot-first-ask-questions-later mentality. If you believe that your life is in danger and you are armed, staring down an unarmed aggressor, with a good amount of distance between you, there is no need to use deadly force. However, if the aggressor lunges at you, it is your right to use force to defend yourself.

In my opinion it doesn’t matter that you could of walked away, because if the attack was willing to attack when you were still, then it wouldn’t be a far leap to say they might still pursue you even as you retreated. Especially since, an apparently unarmed assailant could actually be armed. Knife, firearm, whatever; they are dangerous. Furthermore, the aggressor (if they knew you had the duty to retreat) would be less threaten and deterred by the fact that you are armed.

It would also be important to remember that the aggressor could of walked away to.

Everyone needs to know that when the time comes they can defend themselves and their families without the risk of being brought to either criminal or civil courts.