Do you retreat?

https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/blog/what-is-a-duty-to-retreat-law/

At what point would you retreat?

1 Like

Kentucky is not a duty to retreat state and has a strong history supporting the castle doctrine and stand your ground. That said, that doesn’t mean that a tactical retreat is not the best option.

7 Likes

Is my life or a family members life in immediate danger? If not, then I retreat. If someone else’s life is in danger, then my question is, why aren’t they armed and trained? Assisting someone else puts me in the spot of knowing exactly what is truly happening, not what it may look like.

All that said, I would most certainly assist a uniformed or personally known LEO in trouble.

4 Likes

We have the castle law. If I can retreat safely with no one endangered, you’d better believe I would retreat.

2 Likes

I’d like to avoid confrontation in every situation but toting my 3yr old and 2yr old around with me everywhere makes retreating extremely difficult.

1 Like

I have stated this before and I am a highly trained Airborne Ranger but in almost every case I will try to run away from a fight. But I am ready to fight at a moment’s notice should I need too. Then again, if I flee I won’t need to use my insurance from USCCA.

1 Like

I will only retreat to a better position to engage if I’m facing someone armed with a firearm.

Otherwise the only reason I can think of to retreat would be if I was being rushed and needed to create a safe space to draw and fire or if I was facing certain death from overwhelming odds.

Retreating signals to the attacker they have already won and encourages them and turning your back to do so makes a fine target for the attacker who will have no fear of return fire.

3 Likes

Your opinion. I’ll always retreat when that is a safe option. I’m not obligated to protect the masses. They should be protecting themselves. If they don’t think their lives are worth protecting, it’s not my place to argue.

2 Likes

Retreat is a passive defense option, it gives an intruder the time to peruse your property and guarantee that it will be on their mind for round two. That is partly why standing your ground is so important, what happens if they think they need help to get what they want? The next time a passive retreat may be fruitless, and also bear in mind the fact that they chose to intrude, to violate a persons private property is a bold act and to brush it off with passivity is permitting the pending downfall.

1 Like

Now if you’re speaking of an armed intrusion, breaking into my property, you add specifics to the question. The question was originally somewhat general and nebulous. If we become specific, retreating in this case may not be an option to insure the safety of me and mine. Possibly I jumped to the conclusion we were asking if we would retreat if it were deemed a safe response.
At what point would we retreat? You are suggesting never retrear?

1 Like

Her question is twofold. To get us to give an immediate reaction or form one at least then to get us to watch the video.

Tom goes into the specifics of the duty to retreat laws and why having clear knowledge of your responsibilities under those laws is so essential.

Fortunately fewer and fewer states have those statutes remaining on the books.

1 Like

The question was, “At what point do you retreat?” Thst is straight forward. At what point? I don’t agree to a never retreat attitude even though we have the castle law. I would not retreat in the face of a conflict that could lead to someone being harmed if I did retreat (according to the definitions in our statutes).
If the perpetrator is fleeing or presents no bodily threat, I will not engage with deadly force. Retreating does not necessarily mean running scared. I would however back off just enough to allow him to make his exit. I have no legal authority to pursue or engage in this instance. If he has invaded my home, the reaction may have to be different. I don’t plan on playing Rambo. I hope I never have to engage with a firearm, but if it is unavoidable, that is a good reason to be armed.

1 Like

Entering my home is a different game. I will always assume that my family and I are in immediate danger under those conditions. My previous post was based upon being out in public with a possible mass shooter or other gun-fire situation.

2 Likes

That matches my view pretty well, but each circumstance is it’s own thing.
In my home, if they retreat I let them go, if they advance I probably engage unless I cannot do so with a tactical change of position or endangering family.
In public, if an active shooter is far away and my family is not at risk, I retreat. If they are right in front of me, if my family can retreat I probably engage BUT that is 100% a decision made based on the circumstances of the moment. As would a 3rd party defense be.

2 Likes