Despite laws that allow you to react to a threat with deadly force, you could still face legal hassles if you use these rights. The main issue is each law provides different rights, and you must understand how they work and when they apply.
News4SA explains the main point of stand your ground laws is to allow you to defend yourself if you feel someone is threatening you. If you react in a way outside of the law, you could face punishment.
Stand your ground
The standard stand your ground law allows you to protect yourself in any way you can if you feel threatened. It applies in any situation, and you do not have to leave the situation before reacting to the threat.
Problems could arise
The problems arise when you are unable to show a reasonable person would feel threatened enough to have to use deadly force if in the same situation you were in. If the other person lacks a weapon or was not in a position to harm you, it would be tough to show you legally used the law to protect yourself.
Another potential issue is if there was another way to subdue the person or if you already had the other person in a situation where he or she could no longer hurt you. For example, if you had shut the person in a closet and secured it closed but then shot through the door and killed the person, then this may be a questionable situation.
The bottom line with stand your ground is to make sure it is your last resort. If the only option is to react or face harm, then you likely have a good case to evoke the law.
