Deadly Force
Deadly Force is one of the most important concerns in one's life once the decision to protect yourself has been made. These two words, their definition, and your understanding of them become pivotal to your balance of life, freedom and personal responsibility.
The basic and most recognized definition of Deadly Force is “That force which is likely to cause serious bodily injury or death." The death part is pretty obvious, but what constitutes “serious bodily injury" and who determines what that is? The short answer is, the person employing the force defensively must be able to articulate why they considered the threat to be so serious in nature and scope as to justify taking another's life in defense. The tricky part is that serious bodily injury is extremely subjective. A broken forearm may not be a big deal to an eighteen year old in excellent health, but to a sixty year old with a high risk of infection it might be detrimental.
Once we understand, can define, and therefore recognize Deadly Force we can apply it if necessary. When can we employ Deadly Force? The widely recognized standard is “Deadly Force may be used in response to a viable imminent deadly force threat." We don't need to paint ourselves into corners by adding qualifiers like “to me, my family, etc." If there is an imminent viable Deadly Force threat in our presence, you may act upon it. You are just as civilly and criminally liable for your actions defending yourself or others who would be justified in using deadly force to defend themselves.
In conclusion, Deadly Force is that force which you have determined is likely to cause serious injury or death and you are able to articulate why. You may use this force in response to an imminent viable threat of deadly force in your presence. You are legally responsible for your actions.
I hope this was helpful. Have a great day. Ric.