Lethal Force: Are You Aware Of The The Objectives And The Risks Of Using It?
It comes as no surprise to almost everyone that I meet, that the state of Michigan recognizes the use of lethal force for lawful self-defense. However, most of the confusion that I, as a Firearms Trainer, see from many folks is a lack of understanding as to exactly when lethal force is justified and when it is not.
This observation is particularly acute in the resulting discussion after a high profile self-defense case. Sometimes opinions about the "goodness" of a shooting are widely divergent despite the commonality of a certain set of disclosed facts.
Typically, it is apparent that there may be differing opinions about the relevance of certain disclosures revealed by the investigation of the case by the authorities or other interested parties. As such, the prism by which some people evaluate an incident is sometimes fueled by not having an accurate understanding of the law.
However, there is one thing that interested parties of different opinions do agree upon: Owning, carrying, and operating a firearm for self-defense is a grave responsibility. As such, the operator has three primary objectives to accomplish if he uses self-defense with a firearm: survive the encounter, not be convicted of a crime, and not lose all of his assets in a civil suit.
To begin, merely carrying a firearm does not automatically confer victory to a "perceived" victim when he is attacked. His level of awareness at the time of the incident and his level of training with his gun will both be factors but they do not guarantee success.
If he succeeds in defeating his assailant, his actions will be subsequently investigated for compliance to the statute. As such, it is important that every gun owner is aware of what the laws "says" about lethal force and not have any vague interpretations of what he "thinks" it is.
If a gun owner is blindly living by the mantra that "it is better to be judged by twelve than carried by six," he must not be aware of the long odds of getting through this ordeal unscathed due to his failure to conduct his due diligence on the law.
In Michigan, lethal force is only justified under a narrow band of circumstances. If a necessary element of that defense is not present, the shooter will in all likelihood be found guilty of something. If he is convicted, he faces fines, court costs, and of course the loss of his freedom. Additionally, he also faces the risk of being sued civilly in a wrongful death suit. Conversely, if the shooting was ruled justified, he would not have been prosecuted and would have been immune from a civil suit.
If you are a home-owner, a business-owner, a firearm owner, a CPL-holder, an attorney, a law enforcement officer desiring to be current, a member of the media, a bodyguard, a security guide, an armed courier, or you are simply fascinated with the subjects of lethal force and self-defense, you need to attend the "Michigan Lethal Force Seminar: Laws Every Firearm Owner Must Know."
It is a detailed accounting of Michigan's laws on the subjects you need to know. Ignorance of the law is not a valid excuse. Knowing the law can solve the "getting convicted" and "getting sued" problems. The operator still has to also survive the incident but that is beyond the scope of this seminar. This seminar's focus is strictly on the law.
The seminar will be held on Saturday, January 11, 2014 at 9am in downtown Detroit at the Law Office of Terry L. Johnson. The event will be moderated by me - Rick Ector - and feature an extensive Q&A Session to resolve any nagging concerns you have about your understanding of the law.
The seminar costs $99. It is a small price to pay for peace of mind. Not attending this seminar can cost you far more: attorney fees, lost time from work, reputation damage in the media, court costs, and your freedom.
Parking is ample but space in the seminar is limited. To RSVP, go this link ASAP:http://www.eventbee.com/v/rick9mm/event?eid=100117644
It comes as no surprise to almost everyone that I meet, that the state of Michigan recognizes the use of lethal force for lawful self-defense. However, most of the confusion that I, as a Firearms Trainer, see from many folks is a lack of understanding as to exactly when lethal force is justified and when it is not.This observation is particularly acute in the resulting discussion after a high profile self-defense case. Sometimes opinions about the "goodness" of a shooting are widely divergent despite the commonality of a certain set of disclosed facts.
Typically, it is apparent that there may be differing opinions about the relevance of certain disclosures revealed by the investigation of the case by the authorities or other interested parties. As such, the prism by which some people evaluate an incident is sometimes fueled by not having an accurate understanding of the law.
However, there is one thing that interested parties of different opinions do agree upon: Owning, carrying, and operating a firearm for self-defense is a grave responsibility. As such, the operator has three primary objectives to accomplish if he uses self-defense with a firearm: survive the encounter, not be convicted of a crime, and not lose all of his assets in a civil suit.
To begin, merely carrying a firearm does not automatically confer victory to a "perceived" victim when he is attacked. His level of awareness at the time of the incident and his level of training with his gun will both be factors but they do not guarantee success.
If he succeeds in defeating his assailant, his actions will be subsequently investigated for compliance to the statute. As such, it is important that every gun owner is aware of what the laws "says" about lethal force and not have any vague interpretations of what he "thinks" it is.
If a gun owner is blindly living by the mantra that "it is better to be judged by twelve than carried by six," he must not be aware of the long odds of getting through this ordeal unscathed due to his failure to conduct his due diligence on the law.
In Michigan, lethal force is only justified under a narrow band of circumstances. If a necessary element of that defense is not present, the shooter will in all likelihood be found guilty of something. If he is convicted, he faces fines, court costs, and of course the loss of his freedom. Additionally, he also faces the risk of being sued civilly in a wrongful death suit. Conversely, if the shooting was ruled justified, he would not have been prosecuted and would have been immune from a civil suit.
If you are a home-owner, a business-owner, a firearm owner, a CPL-holder, an attorney, a law enforcement officer desiring to be current, a member of the media, a bodyguard, a security guide, an armed courier, or you are simply fascinated with the subjects of lethal force and self-defense, you need to attend the "Michigan Lethal Force Seminar: Laws Every Firearm Owner Must Know."
It is a detailed accounting of Michigan's laws on the subjects you need to know. Ignorance of the law is not a valid excuse. Knowing the law can solve the "getting convicted" and "getting sued" problems. The operator still has to also survive the incident but that is beyond the scope of this seminar. This seminar's focus is strictly on the law.
The seminar will be held on Saturday, January 11, 2014 at 9am in downtown Detroit at the Law Office of Terry L. Johnson. The event will be moderated by me - Rick Ector - and feature an extensive Q&A Session to resolve any nagging concerns you have about your understanding of the law.
The seminar costs $99. It is a small price to pay for peace of mind. Not attending this seminar can cost you far more: attorney fees, lost time from work, reputation damage in the media, court costs, and your freedom.
Parking is ample but space in the seminar is limited. To RSVP, go this link ASAP:http://www.eventbee.com/v/rick9mm/event?eid=100117644
About The Author
Rick Ector is a National Rifle Association credentialed Firearms Trainer, who provides Michigan CCW Class training in Detroit for students at his firearms school - Rick's Firearm Academy of Detroit. Ector is a recognized expert in firearm safety and has been featured extensively in the national and local media: Associated Press, UPI, NRAnews, Guns Digest, Tactical-Life, The Truth About Guns, The Politics Daily, Fox News Detroit, The Detroit News, The Detroit Examiner, WJLB, WGPR, and the UrbanShooterPodcast.
For more info about free shooting lessons for women and Michigan CCW Classes, please contact:
Rick's Firearm Academy of Detroit
Web: http://www.detroitccw.com.
Email: info@detroitccw.com
Phone: 313.733.74
If this information was useful for you, would you please make a small recurring donation to support this site?
No comments:
Post a Comment