In this episode of Critical Mas(s), Massad Ayoob discusses the three legs that hold up the table that defines the set of circumstances in which the use of deadly force in self-defense is legally justifiable in court.
06:54 – The Zimmerman Case
One of the most well-known and high-profile cases involving the use of deadly force in a self-defense shooting is State of Florida vs. George Zimmerman in the death of Treyvon Martin. Mas discusses the legal facts of the Zimmerman case that were examined and ultimately resulted in Zimmerman’s acquittal, and apply to cases of lethal force in self-defense writ large.
The following factors are considered any time there is a shooting or application of other forms of deadly force in self-defense against an immediate, otherwise unavoidable danger of death or great bodily harm to yourself or somebody you have the right to protect: ABILITY, OPPORTUNITY, and JEOPARDY. Force of numbers, disparities in physical size, strength, or the presence of a weapon are a few examples of Ability. Opportunity to employ their intent to cause harm (within certain distances, whether there are obstacles, etc) must be present, and Jeopardy is their manifested intent, either by words or actions, that your attacker is going to carry out the threat that they pose to you.
Massad Ayoob Group: http://massadayoobgroup.com
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Critical Mas(s) with Massad Ayoob is a show that provides expert analysis over a wide range of contemporaneous topics related to civilian and law enforcement self defense, the use of force, and second amendment issues, provided by a renowned and established author with a career spanning decades in training law enforcement officers and the public at large, who is frequently called upon to provide expert witness testimony.
ABOUT MASSAD AYOOB:
Massad Ayoob has been handgun editor of GUNS magazine and law enforcement columnist for AMERICAN HANDGUNNER since the 1970s, and has published thousands of articles in gun magazines, martial arts publications, and law enforcement journals. He is the author of some twenty books on firearms, self-defense, and related topics, including “In the Gravest Extreme” and “Deadly Force,” widely considered to be authoritative texts on the topic of the use of lethal force.
The winner of the Outstanding American Handgunner of the Year Award in 1998, Mas has won several state and regional handgun shooting championships. Ayoob was the first person to earn the title of Five Gun Master in the International Defensive Pistol Association. He is the current President of the Second Amendment Foundation. He served 19 years as chair of the Firearms Committee of the American Society of Law Enforcement Trainers, and several years as a member of the Advisory Board of the International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association. In addition to teaching for those groups, he has also taught
for the International Association of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors and the International Homicide Investigators seminars.
Mas has received judicial recognition as an expert witness for the courts in weapons and shooting cases since 1979, and served as a fully sworn and empowered, part time police officer for 43 years, mostly at supervisor rank. Ayoob founded the Lethal Force Institute in 1981 and served as its director until 2009, and now trains through Massad Ayoob Group. He has
appeared on CLE-TV delivering continuing legal education for attorneys, through the American Law Institute and American Bar Association, and has been retained to train attorneys to handle deadly force cases through the Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network. Ayoob served for two
years as co-vice chair of the Forensic Evidence Committee of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He also appeared in each episode of Personal Defense TV (Sportsman’s Channel).
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