What The Supreme Court’s Second Amendment Ruling Means For Self-Defense Outside Of The Home

Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling that expanded the right to carry a firearm in public places. Prior to the ruling, the Supreme Court had limited an individual’s right to bear arms under the Second Amendment to those firearms kept at home for self-defense purposes. Now, the Court has indicated that an individual’s Second Amendment right to bear arms extends beyond the home, which will severely limit states’ ability to place restrictions on carrying a firearm in public.

What does this mean for self-defense?

Under Michigan law, an individual has the right to stand his ground if he has reason to believe that he is gravely endangered. In other words, there is no duty to retreat before utilizing force to protect yourself so long as you are being unlawfully threatened and you reasonably believe that deadly force is necessary to protect yourself.

When it comes to deadly force, you have to honestly and reasonably believe that the force is necessary to prevent imminent death or bodily harm to yourself or someone else, or to stop imminent sexual assault.

After the Supreme Court’s ruling, then, there may be more instances of Michigan residents utilizing their firearms to protect themselves. So long as those weapons are legally possessed and are used in accordance with applicable self-defense laws, then individuals may be justified in utilizing their firearms to defend themselves.

Those who act in self-defense need to be prepared to defend themselves in court

That said, a lot of instances of self-defense look criminal in nature until you have the opportunity to tell your side of the story. As a result, if you’ve been involved in an incident where you’ve had to defend yourself, then you may end up on the receiving end of interrogation and even allegations of criminal wrongdoing.

In those circumstances, you need to do everything you can to protect your interests and your future. An attorney who is adept in these matters and who possesses a knowledge of the current state of the law may be able to help you position your case so that you can beat back the tactics utilized by aggressive prosecutors.