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Re: After you’ve used KM to defend yourself, do you report it or keep quiet?
quote stevetuna:“I was in fear for my life. I defended myself. I am very upset at this time and will make no further comments until I speak with my attorney. Thank you.”Write this quote down & keep in wallet.
Re: After you’ve used KM to defend yourself, do you report it or keep quiet?
quote mikwrigh:it may result in either a situation where it’s your word against your attacker’s, or, if witnesses were present, possible conflicting stories from the attacker’s friends or folks that didn’t get the whole picture but saw you book out the door after striking someoneThis is why the instructors at our school teach us to always shout things that may help witnesses understand that you are not trying to attack someone. Things like ‘BACK OFF!’ or ‘CALL 911!’ could go a long way toward having witnesses on your side once the police are involved. Of course, this may have no effect on potential lawsuits, so it seems like there is no good answer.
On the whole, I think that I would contact the police as soon as possible, just in case someone else called the cops.
Re: After you’ve used KM to defend yourself, do you report it or keep quiet?
Thanks everyone for sharing your thoughts. I guess in certain circumstances, “self defense” could potentially continue long after any counter strikes are thrown.
Reading though the posts has made me think of friends (some who happen to be fellow practitioners of KM and/or other MAs) who carry folding knives for personal protection. While I have no knowledge of the legality of this in my state (it’s obvious from my OP that I’m not a LEO), I can only imagine with horror the complications that would compound and ensue should someone resort to using a weapon for defense if the context of a legit self defense altercation were unclear or disputed.
After reading KMMAN’s post, I have a heightened respect for self awareness and avoidance if at all possible.
Re: After you’ve used KM to defend yourself, do you report it or keep quiet?
If your legally authorized to use deadly force, then the method of implementation is of no consequence. Meaning knife, gun, baseball bat, personal weapons.. none of it matters if the situations dictates the use of greater force in order to overcome the assailant and create an opportunity in which you can escape.
Re: After you’ve used KM to defend yourself, do you report it or keep quiet?
quote Kirsten:If your legally authorized to use deadly force, then the method of implementation is of no consequence. Meaning knife, gun, baseball bat, personal weapons.. none of it matters if the situations dictates the use of greater force in order to overcome the assailant and create an opportunity in which you can escape.Is that true for the average civilian? I’m pretty sure that in my state (Maryland), carriage of a concealed weapon is a felony in and of itself, and it’s virtually impossible to get a carry permit for the average Joe. I can see where your statement might apply if the attack occurs within one’s own home, but does it carry over to the street without consequence? I think besides pepper spray, anyting else I might have on my person in public would make me a criminal pleading my defense against another criminal.
Re: After you’ve used KM to defend yourself, do you report it or keep quiet?
quote mikwrigh:Is that true for the average civilian? I’m pretty sure that in my state (Maryland), carriage of a concealed weapon is a felony in and of itself, and it’s virtually impossible to get a carry permit for the average Joe. I can see where your statement might apply if the attack occurs within one’s own home, but does it carry over to the street without consequence? I think besides pepper spray, anyting else I might have on my person in public would make me a criminal pleading my defense against another criminal.Depends if your state has a “stand your ground” law. Consult accordingly for the answer.
Re: After you’ve used KM to defend yourself, do you report it or keep quiet?
quote guitarded_1:Depends if your state has a “stand your ground” law. Consult accordingly for the answer.And of course it depends on the legality of what you are carrying. If you get jumped by a guy with a knife and you use brass knuckles (illegal almost everywhere), you could be charged. Same with a gun without a permit. And of course, check your local laws.
Re: After you’ve used KM to defend yourself, do you report it or keep quiet?
I talked to a salesman in a Maryland knife-store a couple of years ago.
He told me that it was legal to carry a folding knife,and wasn’t considered a ‘concealed weapon’ as long as a small part protrudes from the pocket (such as what would show if you used the knife-clip on the end of the handle to secure it in the pocket.In Pa. I was told by more than one law officer that a folding knife was legal,& that no blade length was listed as illegal in the statutes.
Re: After you’ve used KM to defend yourself, do you report it or keep quiet?
quote jjbklb:I talked to a salesman in a Maryland knife-store a couple of years ago.
He told me that it was legal to carry a folding knife,and wasn’t considered a ‘concealed weapon’ as long as a small part protrudes from the pocket (such as what would show if you used the knife-clip on the end of the handle to secure it in the pocket.In Pa. I was told by more than one law officer that a folding knife was legal,& that no blade length was listed as illegal in the statutes.
I just bought a Benchmade Griptilian 551BK with a blade length of 3.45″. I checked my State’s laws beforehand and it’s all good. As long as the blade is under 3.5″ and it’s a manual folding knife most States approve.
Re: After you’ve used KM to defend yourself, do you report it or keep quiet?
I know my laws when I’m in my hometown, but if I’m out and about, I’ve heard that there’s individual city ordinances in some Southern California towns where you can get in trouble. I often carry a large folding knife around, so I try to make it a point not to draw attention to myself- this suits my personality pretty well.
Re: After you’ve used KM to defend yourself, do you report it or keep quiet?
I’ve worked as a bouncer for a number of years and as such, I’ve witnessed many, many altercations and I’m very confident that the answer that I’m giving you is the correct one.
If you are in a fight (whether you started it or not), leave the scene afterwards. People that stick around get arrested. It is not the Police’s job to figure out who started it, that is for the courts, if you are there and you were fighting, you are most likely going to be arrested. Sometimes, the cops just aren’t very interested and just don’t arrest anyone.
A fight on the street or in a bar is not the top priority for police. They aren’t going to take finger prints and put out an APB for you, because they really just don’t care that much. Leave, and most likely you’ll never hear about it again. The only way you’ll get arrested is if the person you were fighting actually knows who you are. In that case, they may file a report. Otherwise, there will be no man hunt for you.
Re: After you’ve used KM to defend yourself, do you report it or keep quiet?
quote stevetuna:A wise man once said the following: “Shoot, shovel and shut up.”I’m just saying…
I was going to agree with you and have your spots in the desert picked oput in advance…then I saw Seachmall’s quote of mine…forgot about that one…Not only am I better looking on the internet…I’m funnier toothumbsup
So I’m going with, report, because you never know when the internet might bite you in the AZZ:banghead::OhMy:
Re: After you’ve used KM to defend yourself, do you report it or keep quiet?
quote mikwrigh:After reading through some of the other threads, a lingering question comes to mind and I am curious to gauge how others feel about it.Say you are unfortunate enough to get attacked, whether it be an assault involving a robbery or a simple barroom brawl (the list could go on and on, so be creative). In KM, we’re taught to flee danger as soon as the threat is neutralized. So, if the assailant is incapacitated by your hand and no longer a threat of inflicting harm, you hightail it out of Dodge, right?
Whether it be an dark alleyway, bar/club, parking lot, whatever…, do you report the crime to authorities after you’ve been involved in an altercation that you’ve “won”? Whether there are witnesses or not, fleeing is the best course of action to ensure you get home safely: the goal of fighting back in the first place.
It seems to me that coming clean to authorities after being involved in a self defense situation has its pros and cons.
Obvious pros would include that an offender may be taken off the streets where he/she can no longer pose harm to you and others. Especially if the attacker had a weapon, it would be one less maniac on the street that could harm your loved ones.
However, if you’ve inflicted damage (most likely serious if you fight like you train) to someone, it may result in either a situation where it’s your word against your attacker’s, or, if witnesses were present, possible conflicting stories from the attacker’s friends or folks that didn’t get the whole picture but saw you book out the door after striking someone. I think it’s fair to say that it’s not likely that authorities will get a 100% unanimous account of what happened, but someone is left lying down bleeding and it’s not you…
Are there laws that state that you should not literally hit and run? I realize that depending on the situation, common sense will prevail, but do you think that you would turn yourself in after incapacitating someone or just go on in relief that you survived an attack without having to deal with any legal ramifications?
First of all, if you are the victim of a violent attack, A) you have the right to defend yourself by any means at your disposal that you see fit, and B) you have no moral obligation whatsoever to report it to anyone, period–doesn’t matter what “the law” says.
As for what is practical, I think that has to be up to each individual to decide depending on the circumstances. Personally, I don’t see any benefits to reporting it to “the authorities” and can definitely see drawbacks. First, they failed to protect you in the first place. Then you report it, and they can absurdly decide you violated this or that law in the process of exercising your absolute right to self-defense, and you get attacked once more-this time by your supposed “protectors” !
Or just their incompetence could get you in trouble: When I was attacked (sucker punched in the adams apple as the thugs passed me on a sidewalk–this was before I knew about KM) calling the police afterward turned out to be what could have been a deadly mistake– I felt they could have revealed my identity to the thugs, let them go for lack of evidence (my word against theirs), then the enraged thugs could target me for lethal retaliation.
I don’t see any good that can come out of reporting such an incident.
Re: After you’ve used KM to defend yourself, do you report it or keep quiet?
I had a very near miss about two weeks ago while at the beach. The long story short is that some drunk / drugged guy decided that he was going to play with my 7 yr. old daughter and her two friends. He had taken a ball they were playing with. I’d been watching this guy earlier after being made aware of his bizarre behavior. I had said to my friends, “I’m off-duty. As long as he stays away from my kids…” Well, Murphy has a law, right?
I went over, told the kids to return to home base and put my hand out to take the ball back. The man continued to try to engage my daughter. I told him that he didn’t need to talk to her. He gave me the ball and then started yelling, “What – you think I’m a $#%&ing pervert?” I told him that I didn’t know what he was, but that he wasn’t going to play with my little girl. He walked away, swearing and flailing his hands. Oh well.
A moment later, he came charging over to where I was as I talked to the parents of my daughter’s playmates. I intercepted him. I identified myself as an off-duty police officer (mistake) and told him he was being disorderly. I acted as if this event was being filmed, as it most likely was. The guy ranted, but kept his distance. He appeared to be about my age (48) and was a little bigger than me. In short, not a physical threat. He walked away again, still ranting.
But wait… Here comes his friend, a man of about 30, a muscle-head with his chest thrown out. I immediately established a “fence” (thanks, Geoff Thompson!), got into my defensive stance and said, “Back off – I don’t want a problem.” I was thinking that there was absolutely zero chance of this not ending in a fight. The guy stopped, standing right in front kick range. He ran his mouth, but did not advance. I didn’t back up one step. I thought that if he made any offensive move that I was going to beat him into the hospital, without fail. I figured it was a great marketing opportunity… The guy saw something that gave him pause and he, too, retreated.
The two rounded up their gear and headed off the beach. The younger guy yelled down to me from the parking lot, challenging me to come up to fight. I smiled and waved, telling them to have a nice day…
Karma still works, however. Yesterday I got into work and found that a criminal file had been forwarded to me. The older of the two had committed several felonies. Sucked to be him!
The moral of the story? 1.) A fight avoided is a fight won; 2.) Be prepared to fight, and to fight multiple attackers, and; 3.) Proper training provides a mindset that will keep you ready to go if you must. The younger guy would have certainly attacked me if he hadn’t seen something that gave him pause (trust me, I am not physically intimidating, either). Train as if your life depends on it – this may well be the case!
Oh yeah – one more thing – my older daughter watched this happen. She said to me, “Daddy, I saw you go into your defensive stance.” I asked her what was going to happen next. She said, “You were going to kick him in the nuts!” That’s right, little girl! I was sooooooo proud!
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