Self Defense Laws in Michigan

Today we look at what the self defense laws in Michigan are and how and where a person can effectively defend themselves in the state.

In the state of Michigan there is a law in place that allows citizens to legally stand their ground when they ‘honestly and reasonably’ believe that they or another person is being threatened with severe injury, rape or death.

Under the Self Defense Act of 2006, Section 780.951 Subsection 1, a resident can employ deadly force without first undertaking a duty to retreat and they may do so wherever they legally have a right to be.

Of course, while this is the case now it wasn’t always the way for residents in Michigan. Prior to the Self Defense Act of 2006, which came into effect in October of 2007, the state of Michigan placed an undue burden on self defense with victims first having a duty to retreat as far as possible before they could take steps to defend themselves.

This meant that victims who had undertaken defensive moves and done so successfully were then required to explain to police and the courts that there was no opportunity for them to retreat safely or that they had done so as much as they could before taking steps to protect themselves.

Naturally, this led to problems, as the victim would not be able to make a claim of self defense unless they had first shown their measures at retreating.

Now, though, with the new law in place a citizen has the right to defend themselves and others from harm as long as they aren’t engaged in criminal activity at the time of the incident. As such, this means that regardless of where you are whether that’s at the mall, in a shop or even walking down the street, you have the same rights of protecting yourself which were once solely reserved for people in their homes.