Self Defense Rights

[Frank Ettin]

When I say "I believe" what Im saying is "I feel it should be this way." While Im not an expert in the law regarding self defense I do have opinions like everybody else. Just because the law is written a certain way doesn't mean I feel it should be that way....

If the purpose is to understand the law and how it works, your opinions about how you think it should be are, in fact, completely irrelevant. It is not and will not be as you think it should be. It is as it is.

Do you want to understand how the world actually works? Do you want to understand reality and learn how to deal with it? Do you want to learn? Or do you just want to sit around the fire and jabber about your fantasies of how you wish the world was.

Wishing things doesn't get you anywhere. "If wishes were horses, beggars would ride."

....While Im not an expert in the law regarding self defense I do have opinions like everybody else....

Clearly you're not an expert. It looked like you started this thread to learn things you don't know. In the OP you wrote:

...what I want to discuss in this thread, self defense in general and the consequences for exercising that right.

So if in fact your real goal is learn about the law of self defense, your opinions about how you think things should be are irrelevant. Your opinions have nothing to do with how things actually are.

All opinions aren't equal, and some opinions aren't worth much, or any, attention. Opinions on a subject, when they are the opinions of people who are educated, knowledgeable and experienced in that subject warrant much more attention than the opinions of those who are not. The opinions of my doctor on medical matters are worth more consideration than the opinions of my mechanic of those matters.

Now if you want to change things, that's something else. Become politically active. Support well thought out litigation. But people who are effective at change start by understanding very deeply how things actually are.

 

[Photon Guy]

Alright than I will put it like this, can physical force, not necessarily deadly force but physical force be used against a male assailant who is committing a sexual crime?

 

[Spats McGee]

By "sexual crime," I'm going to assume that you mean a sexual assault, as opposed to something like exposing oneself, also a sexual crime.

As a general proposition, you can use physical force in defense of yourself or others in instances where it is used to prevent death or serious bodily injury. Beyond that, it's going to be a matter of state law, and we'd need to know which state we're talking about.

 

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Such a question can be easily handled as Spats said by referring to appropriate state laws. Rather than speculation, it behooves you to look it up. Google your state laws and be done with it.

 

[Photon Guy]

By "sexual crime," I'm going to assume that you mean a sexual assault, as opposed to something like exposing oneself, also a sexual crime.

As a general proposition, you can use physical force in defense of yourself or others in instances where it is used to prevent death or serious bodily injury. Beyond that, it's going to be a matter of state law, and we'd need to know which state we're talking about.

Im talking about sexual crimes that involve unwanted physical contact, specifically groping or touching on parts of the body that would be covered by the bathing suit without a person's consent. So indecent exposure or making lewd comments, both which can be classified as sexual crimes would not apply. Also Im talking about if the aggressor is a man. The would be victim can be a man or a woman but if the assailant happens to be a man.

And I spend most of my time in NJ, one of the least self defense friendly states.

 

[Glenn E. Meyer]

As I said, this is easily found with a touch of research. It behooves a poster to do the due diligence once so informed so as we can have an educated discussion.

Thus closed.