Deadly Force Quotes

• A half century ago Herbert Wechsler could justify the legal right of deadly force self-defense in terms of the "universal judgment that there is no social interest in preserving the lives of the aggressors at the cost of those of their victims." That is not a universal judgment today.

  Don Kates

  Life, Self, Defense

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• One cannot have a right to life without the right to defend it with deadly force.

  Bruce Montague

  Force, Right To Life

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• Where the suspect poses no immediate threat to the officer and no threat to others, the harm resulting from the failing to apprehend him does not justify the use of deadly force to do so.

  Byron White

  Doe, Use, Failing

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• It's time to question laws that senselessly expand the concept of self-defense and sow dangerous conflict in our neighborhoods. These laws try to fix something that was never broken. There has always been a legal defense for using deadly force if - and the 'if' is important - if no safe retreat is available. But we must examine laws that take this further by eliminating the common sense and age-old requirement that people who feel threatened have a duty to retreat, outside their home, if they can do so safely.

  Eric Holder

  Home, Self, Law

  "Holder speaks out against 'Stand Your Ground' laws after Zimmerman verdict" by Pete Williams and Tracy Connor, www.nbcnews.com. July 17, 2013.

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• There's a very good reason that governments aren't supposed to compete with private-enterprise companies. Governments have monopolies on certain things, like eminent domain and deadly force.

  P. J. O'Rourke

  Government, Eminent Domain, Reason

  Source: www.avclub.com

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• Even if the criticism is not always perfectly informed and in some cases I would deem unfair, just the noise, attention, fuss probably keeps powerful officials or agencies on their toes. And they should be on their toes when it comes to the use of deadly force.

  Barack Obama

  Powerful, Agency, Criticism

  Source: www.theatlantic.com

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• It is not better that all felony suspects die than that they escape. Where the suspect poses no immediate threat to the officer and no threat to others, the harm resulting from failing to apprehend him does not justify the use of deadly force to do so. It is no doubt unfortunate when a suspect who is in sight escapes, but the fact that the police arrive a little late or are a little slower afoot does not always justify killing the suspect.

  Byron White

  Sight, Police, Doubt

  Tennessee v. Garner, 471 U.S. 1, 1985.

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• The one thing government has which we (you or I or any corporation) DON'T have, is the ability to use deadly force to accomplish its goals.

  Neal Boortz

  Government, Goal, Political

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• Imagine how a Teddy Kennedy or a Bill Clinton would take the news that one woman in ten, say, has the power to resist his blandishments by deadly force, and you'll get a perfect idea of how a Charles Schumer or a George Bush feels about armed taxpayers.

  L. Neil Smith

  Ideas, Perfect, News

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• Government can only do two things: It can beat people up and kill them. Or it can threaten to do so. When it seems to be doing something else - for example, handing out money or, say, surplus cheese - what's actually going on is that something has been taken away from one set of individuals by deadly force or the threat of deadly force, a hefty middleman's fee deducted, and whatever is left thrown to peasants delighted to receive stolen goods.

  L. Neil Smith

  Taken, Government, Two

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