Complete guide to stand your ground vs duty to retreat. Which states let you hold your ground, and which require you to retreat before using force.
Stand your ground laws remove the "duty to retreat" requirement before using force (including deadly force) in self-defense when you are lawfully present in any location. Unlike castle doctrine (which only covers your home), stand your ground applies in public places, parking lots, parks, and anywhere else you have a legal right to be.
31 states with stand your ground laws
19 states + D.C. with duty to retreat
In stand your ground states, you have more legal latitude to defend yourself with self-defense tools in public spaces. In duty-to-retreat states, you must prioritize escape before using force. This affects which self-defense products make sense:
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