When did running away become a good idea?
By Ken Hanson
In Part One of my article on the Stand Your Ground laws being introduced across the country, I examined the most important part of these bills – returning the presumption of innocence to those who act in self-defense. If you did not read that article, it is highly suggested you go back and read it, as this article builds upon the prior article.
Broadly speaking, these bills implement two categories of changes. First, as we examined in part 1, a presumption against the bad guy is reestablished, and the person acting in self-defense is granted civil and criminal immunity for their actions. The second category of change is elimination of the duty to retreat. It is this change, more than the others, that creates hysteria among the social engineering crowds who claim it is nothing more than a license to murder. (After all, it is very hard to argue against creating a presumption against a felon, so this is the only area they have left to argue against.)
But just what is the duty to retreat, and where does it come from?
