Double Standards Of Self Defense

Op Ed

In today’s world the standard for protection is completely laid upon the police. Police are supposed to serve and protect so that people don’t take any matters into their own hands. As a result, civilians are not expected to engage in any violent behavior.  A person will be arrested and prosecuted for harming another person even though they may not have been the aggressor. However, the law states that anyone can use non-lethal non-deadly force to defend him self or her self when another person tries to unlawfully harm him or her, deadly force if needed. This should mean that any person who is in danger should have the right to kill if needed. However there is a strong double standard.

There was a case in England when a martial artist killed two men and seriously wounded a third. The three men broke into the victim’s house and threatened his family with knives. The victim defended him self and the two women killing two men and putting one in the hospital.  The law says this act should have defended this man’s rights, but because he was a martial artist he “should have” used non-deadly force to defend his family as the police say- Even though the attackers threatened to rape and kill the two women if he did not tell them where the money was.

The act of this prosecution is very wrong. How can you hold someone responsible for defending people he cares fore? The 28-year-old Asian was arrested for deadly force even though very hurt. It is very understandable that he would be taken in for his actions as should all people if they kill, it is for the purpose of investigation. However, once the police found out what really happened he should have been set free by law, but since he was a martial artist a few charges were brought up against him. This is because he simply knew what he was doing more than someone who has not practiced a form of self-defense. The press didn’t help the situation by saying “The butchery worthy of a Quentin Tarantino film”.

In a similar story, a woman in Maryland shot and killed her husband in an act of self-defense.  Even though the man was shot and killed the women was arrested but never charged. The police said it appears to be an act of self-defense. Witnesses say that the man was always in a bad mood. From the report it sounds like the women was right to defend her self, if she felt like her life was in danger. She was released from custody a few hours later. She went home and continued to live her life.

I fail to see a major difference in the situation the two were in. One man protected two women and him self. One woman defended her self because she felt like her life was in danger. The man was charged with using excessive and unneeded force. Even though the threat to his life was clear and other victims said that they were about to be killed, the martial artist was still arrested and charged. The women, on the other hand had, no witnesses in the room with her. Therefore no one could fully verify her story. The police only had her voice and the people who knew the man’s opinion to go on. This double standard needs to stop it is highly unfair to all martial artiest. Just because someone is more skilled than another, does not mean they should be treated any different.