When It’s Right to Fight Back — Self-Defense

When threatened with serious bodily injury or death in your own home, you have the right to protect yourself. But what rights do you have to defend yourself outside of your home? Do you have the right to act in self-defense, or are you required to retreat from confrontation in a public place?

Tennessee’s Stand Your Ground self-defense law gives citizens the right to use deadly force outside the home to protect themselves. Such force may be used when one has a reasonable belief that there is an imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury. Previously, those who encountered confrontation outside of their homes had a duty to retreat. An act of self-defense is now justifiable even if the individual’s fear of imminent harm or injury turns out to be wrong. As long as one’s fear is reasonable at the time of the event, such action is not considered improper.

About 20 states have enacted such Stand Your Ground laws allowing citizens to act in self-defense outside the home. These statutes are highly controversial in light of recent incidents of improper use of deadly force. To help prevent the wrongful use of deadly force under the guise of self-defense, Tennessee does regulate the right to bear arms.

Tennessee requires anyone who intends to carry a gun to obtain a carry permit. To qualify for a carry permit, an individual must be 21 years old and complete a handgun safety program. Tennessee law denies the granting of carry permits to convicted felons, illegal aliens, and individuals with troubling mental health or criminal histories.

If you believe you have been wrongly charged with a crime while acting in self-defense, an experienced criminal defense attorney can help make sure your right to fight back is upheld.