[Marty Hayes]

The varied responses here likely represent the confusion over this subject matter, with that confusion likely being the result of the interpretation of the 50 different laws on the books, along with the different case law of each state.

There is no one clear answer, but instead 50 murky ones.

I say murky because each state's statutes will be interpreted by their state's appellate courts. And, while that is not so bad in itself, the fact remains that the appellate courts can and do change their minds as to what the statutes mean.

My advice is to research your own state's case law on self-defense, and glean from the cases the likely position an appellate court would take on the subject.

Be ready for several hours of intense reading though.

One more thing. Seeking out an attorney to form a client-attorney relationship with regarding your right to self-defense is the right step, but make sure that attorney knows the laws of self-defense in your state. Most criminal defense attorneys do not handle many self-defense cases. Once you do your case law search, and arrange to meet the attorney, make sure he has a list of self-defense cases you would like him to interpret for you. By doing this, you can actually help train the attorney to help you if you need it. A win-win.