Oldmarksman asked about various jurisdictions.
In KY, there is legal mutual combat
Thank you.
That seems to vary a great deal among states--and it is not always yes or no.
As far as SD goes you can even start a fight.
If you at some point try to disengage and communicate that to your opponent, but your opponent will not allow you too all of your SD options are available to you including lethal force if you reasonably believe danger of death or serious bodily harm. By KY statute.
That seems to be true everywhere.
You can mount a defense of justification for your use of deadly force under such circumstances.
That would mitigate against criminal liability for
that aspect, but it would
not necessarily constitute a defense against a charge of battery.
As far as responding to a threat of physical violence if intent ability and opportunity exist you do not have to wait to be struck to react with physical or lethal defensive force, depending on which I'd warranted under the circumstances.
No one anywhere is required to wait to be attacked before resorting to self defense.
The defender is not required to divine the
intent of someone who appears to present a serious threat. Rather, he must have some basis for
believing that,
unless he acts immediately, he will almost certainly
be attacked then and there with force--a judgment call that may be ruled upon by others after the fact.
Mere verbal threats will not suffice. What someone suggested in Post #27 does not constitute the justified use of force. In some states that's a matter of common law; in others it is spelled out in statutes. It has nothing to do with whether mutual combat happens to be lawful.
And, of course, he will be justified in the use of no more force than is necessary to defend himself.
Except for the mutual combat issue, and that's really a secondary one, I do not see anything in the KY self defense laws that is markedly different from the law anywhere else in this country. Of course, one cannot tall that just by looking at statutes--court rulings and jury instructions come into play.
On second thought, some states do vary in terms of when and under what circumstances the display of a weapon may be lawfully justified.
But that's another subject.