Do you know the definition of a forcible felony in your state?

In general, gun laws require that before you use deadly force, the following 5 conditions must be present:

1. You must have a reasonable belief that your only option is to use deadly force.

2. You must be in fear of imminent death, great bodily harm, or stopping a forcible felony.

3. You must have a reasonable belief that the use of deadly force is immediately necessary.

4. You can not be committing a crime, and…

5. You are somewhere you have a legal right to be.

Your legal team must be able to articulate that to a jury if you stand trial.

If you want to know more about each condition, you can read my article about The Most Misinterpreted Gun Law.

Today, I just want to clarify what a forcible felony is. And since my specialty is Florida gun laws, that’s what I’ll share with you, and I suggest that you make sure to familiarize yourself with your state’s definition of a forcible felony.

With that said, here are the felonies that fall under that definition in the state of Florida:

Treason, Murder, Manslaughter, Sexual Battery, Carjacking, Home Invasion Robbery, Robbery, Burglary, Arson, Kidnapping, Aggravated Assault, Aggravated Battery, Aggravated Stalking, Aircraft Piracy, Unlawful throwing, placing, or discharging of a destructive device, and lastly, any felony which involves the use, or threat, of physical force or violence against any individual.

Now, imagine that you find yourself in a situation where you have to defend yourself or someone else by using or threatening to use deadly force. How much time do you have to figure out whether the crime perpetrated in your presence is a forcible felony?

I’m being generous when I say you have one to two seconds to determine if the 5 conditions for use of deadly force are present, and then use the appropriate level of force lawfully and responsibly.

Be honest with yourself… Could you do it? Are you trained enough? Have you even thought about it?

I dedicate my life to training and learning this stuff, and I can’t say with certainty that I’ll be able to. Heck, I’ve even been a victim of violence and know the stress of the moment, and I still can’t say for sure.

No one is expecting you to be a legal wizard. You have a busy life as it is. However, life as you know it can change in a second, literally, if you become a victim and use any force in self-defense.

So, part of your training ought to include beefing up your knowledge and knowing how to apply it should you be forced to defend yourself. While you’re under attack is not the time to learn.

Not every violent crime, even if you believe it is at the moment, is a forcible felony. Not knowing the difference and making a decision to use your gun anyway can be the difference between going back to your soulmate or your cellmate.

Train Hard, Often, and SAFELY!