Castle Doctrine & Stand Your Ground

Castle Doctrine & Stand Your Ground « Red Ensign

A stand-your-ground law is a law that allows a person to use deadly force when threatened without attempting to retreat. In some cases, a person may use deadly force in public areas without a duty to retreat.

Castle Law or a Defense of Habitation Law) is an American legal doctrine that designates a person's abode (or, in some states, any place legally occupied, such as a car or place of work) as a place in which the person has certain protections and immunities and may in certain circumstances attack an intruder without becoming liable to prosecution

A number of states in the US have either Castle Doctrine, Stand Your Ground, or both. Castle Doctrine is derived from English Common Law, that a man’s home is his castle. You have every right to defend yourself in your home and no duty to retreat in the face of danger. Stand Your Ground extends that principle to outside your residence. If threatened in public, you have the right to defend yourself and no duty to retreat. There are 18 States with Castle Doctrine, 1 State with Stand Your Ground, and 12 States with both. In total, there are 31 States with some form of Castle Doctrine and/or Stand Your Ground.