Fun Facts Wednesday – Castle Doctrine / Stand Your Ground By State

I often wonder why business owners located in out of control rioting cities do not post a warning at the door that states,

“This business is guarded by armed owner. Based on insert state name here statute Castle Doctrine/Stand Your Ground §§ X-Y-Z0Z, -Z0A, -Z0B, -ZC0 applies and deadly force will be used.”

Then I reasoned that many states do not have a castle doctrine or stand your ground statute in place. This promoted me to look at my own state, Pennsylvania. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Pennsylvania is a stand your ground state. I found all the states who have a castle doctrine or stand your ground statute listed over at World Population Review. I copy and pasted them below to make it easier for review.

Castle Law

The follow twenty-three states have a castle doctrine statute that varies slightly from each other. At a 10,000-foot level the castle doctrine gives a justification for using lethal force against an intruder in your home, business, or vehicle. Each states castle doctrine statute is slightly different. Below, click on your state or state of interest to find how that state fares:

Stand Your Ground Law

The following twenty-six states have passed a stand your ground” statute. At a 10,000-foot level the stand your ground statute gives justification for using lethal force against any perceived threat to you or a bystander anywhere in the state. Each state’s stand your ground statute is slightly different. Below, click on your state or state of interest to find how that state fares:

The following have a “Duty to Retreat” law:

Please keep in mind that if you use lethal force no matter how justified you are more than likely you will be taken into custody for questioning. The only thing you should say is, “I was afraid for my life. I want to talk to an attorney.” Putting all the pieces together after a lethal shooting will be a lot easier if you have an attorney present when you explain what happened to the police. Your adrenaline will be pumping, and words have meaning’s. Staying quiet is a benefit to you for sure and also the police who want to exonerate you especially when it is obviously an open and shut justifiable shoot.

I gave you the tools now check your state or state of interest out and be educated.

Illinois’s version of the castle doctrine has more restrictions. The castle doctrine for Illinois does not include one’s workplace or vehicle. Additionally, one is only allowed to use deadly force if an intruder is committing a felony or enters the home in a “violent, riotous or tumultuous manner.” World Population review 2020

** North Carolina has a broad version of the castle doctrine. It states that a person who “unlawfully and forcibly” enters one’s home, workplace, or car is presumed to intend violence and to harm, and therefore it is easy to establish self-defense. World Population review 2020

Freedom Through Self-Reliance

 

 

 

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About the Author: johnyMac

11 Comments

  1. DAN III July 29, 2020 at 06:47

    JohnnyMac,

    I am familiar with Pennsylvania’s Castle Doctrine. I used it one early morning when walking my dog. However, I did not use a firearm. I used a coffee mug.

    One autumn morning, walking my dog on a public road at 0400 I flashed an oncoming vehicle with my Surefire. Driver went down the road. He turned around and approached me asking “WTF is your problem ?”. I responded by telling him I’ll just get your plate number. At that point he jumped out of his car and accosted me. I took my coffee mug and planted it center mass on his pumpkin. Down he went ! He got back in his car. Twenty minutes later PSP arrived. They charged ME with summary harassment !

    I went to county court as Pro Se, challenging PSP. Lo and behold, my assailant produced a “witness” claiming his “witness” was a passenger when I allegedly attacked HIM !

    My testimony was I only defended myself when the scumbag got out of his vehicle and attacked me. His “witness” claimed her boyfriend never got out of the car. I had punched him thru his open, driverside window she claimed. I called the witness a liar. Judge got in my ass. Asked if I had any witnesses. I responded I had my dog. “Unfortunately, she doesn’t speak English”. Judge found ME guilty. Fined me $500.00. Case closed.

    Moral of my story….the Castle Doctrine is not the end all, be all for self-defense. The “justus” system will do anything to get a conviction. The criminals will always cheat and lie to prevent their being found guilty. In the end the defending Castle Doctrine citizen will ALWAYS pay….one way or another. Like most of the too-many-laws-on-the-books, the lawyers (officers of the court) will always manipulate and re-define the law’s wording to suit their needs. The judges will almost always accept the .gov attorney’s argument. Hell, the judge is an attorney too. Birds of a feather.

    The American justice system whether local, county, state or federal is rotten to the core.

    • johnyMac July 29, 2020 at 09:15

      Thank you for sharing that story Dan III. It is a factual depiction of what has and could happen. Pennsylvania’s Stand Your Ground statute like any states version is not the end all for sure. The sad thing is the PSP was involved. If it was a local LEO or Deputy Sheriff I speculate things would have been different.

      Awhile back I was in my counties Sheriff’s office having my fingerprints taken by the Sheriff for a Class III stamp I was applying for. We have a passing knowledge of each other, enough that if we walked past each other on the street, we would chat for a couple of minutes. Post the finger printing we started to ‘ragchew’ on a whole host of topics one of them being SYG statute. He told me that there is only two PSP on patrol in my very rural county at any given time. He said if you called 911 it could take up to 45-minutes for one to show up. His advice was to make sure that any threat was dead by the time the Trooper arrived on scene. His belief was that dead threats can not challenge your version of the event.

      Thank you for sharing Brother.

      73 & God Bless

  2. Phillip Reid July 29, 2020 at 12:09

    Oops country of Georgia not State of…

    • johnyMac July 29, 2020 at 13:41

      All fixed Phillip Reid. Thanks for the heads up.

      73 & God Bless

  3. Kash Register July 29, 2020 at 13:35

    The link for Georgia redirects to the former Soviet bloc country, FYI.

    • johnyMac July 29, 2020 at 13:40

      All fixed Kash Register. It should now read state of Georgia. \”/

      &3 & God Bless

  4. Bret July 29, 2020 at 16:29

    You left Louisiana out on Castle doctrine and it not only applies to the home but car as well. And many do not post signs s out armed is era due to the fact in many locales they DA w use such signs and stickers as presumptive evidence that you planned with intent to kill someone and it was not merely self defense.

    • johnyMac July 29, 2020 at 18:19

      Ahhh Bret, Louisiana does not have a Castle Doctrine statute, they have a Stand Your Ground statute. If I am wrong please ‘tuck’ me in Brother.

      73 & God Bless

  5. Bret July 30, 2020 at 18:08

    Well Johnny Mac then the Louisiana Supreme Court got it wrong when they extended castle doctrine to vehicles With our anti carjacking law. And that LA Supreme Court decision is on the books. And by the way I’m a 29 ye Leo veteran in the state of Louisiana. I apply those codes

    • johnyMac July 30, 2020 at 18:15

      Bret,
      Thank you for your service Brother.

      God Bless.

  6. Anonymous August 13, 2020 at 19:06

    4.5

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