Self Defense Legal Issues – Can You Go To Jail For Self Defense?
Everyday, you hear news of crimes such as rapes, robberies, assaults, bullying and many more. With the rising rates of criminality nowadays, some people opted to enroll themselves in tae kwon do, judo and other short-term martial arts classes to learn the basics of self-defense techniques, while some opted to bring self-defense devices with them. However, there are some who hesitate to bring these devices for fear of being caught by police officers.
To defend ourselves from different forms and types of harm is not only reasonable, but it is also legally right. However, not at all times that the law is on your side because there are legal ramifications as well. Because of these issues, some people doubt of the possibility of going to jail for defending yourself. Can anyone be jailed for self-defense? This is a common question asked by some people because they are afraid that they will be caught if they bring some protective device along with them.
Because every state has its corresponding laws and legislation, there can be lots of misconceptions and interpretations when it comes to self-defense. Regardless of its difference, one thing is for sure in all states, it is the extent when a person can claim self-defense. You cannot attack or shoot an unarmed man even if he is attacking you or you cannot hit your subdued aggressor or an attacker, otherwise you will see yourself in jail. More so, you cannot use a higher level of force than that used of the attacker. Even though these scenarios are vague, these are situations where you can be arrested and jailed even if you claimed that you just defended yourself from criminals.
If you kill or seriously injure your perpetrator, regardless of what scenarios you are in, you will go to jail. Even though you just defended yourself from criminals, the police will not conclude or assume that you did that move to defend yourself. Thus you need to prove your innocence and defend yourself in court. No matter how one sided it may seem, it is how self-defense law works. To avoid being charged, it is mandatory that you call 911 first. If you are attacked by the perpetrator and you used some device to defend yourself before the police authorities arrived, you will not be charged with a crime. Because of these situations, you should always keep telephone numbers of police authorities and the 911 handy. If you intentionally avoid calling the police authorities and decided to use force or weapon to defend yourself, rest assured that you will spend quite sometime inside the detention cell.
Apart from these scenarios, there are also rules when it comes to carrying self-defense weapons such as stun guns, pepper sprays and tasers. If you do not want to be jailed, then be aware of your local laws and legislations on self-defense.
Cori N. Baker enjoys writing for Beststungun.com which sells stun gun and tazer as well as a host of additional products.
Cori N. Baker enjoys writing for http://Beststungun.com which sells stun gun and tazer as well as a host of additional products.
http://www.beststungun.com
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Author Bio: Cori N. Baker enjoys writing for Beststungun.com which sells stun gun and tazer as well as a host of additional products.
Category: Legal
Keywords: self defense,self defense legal,self-defense techniques,self-defense devices,defense legal issues