Fast on the heels of the gang attack upon the white couple described in yesterday’s post, “Caught on Video: Vicious Group Attack by Thugs on Young Couple,” comes another video capture of a gang of black teenagers beating unconscious what appears to be a randomly selected white man intent on nothing...
Caught on Video: Vicious Group Attack by Thugs on Young Couple

What timing. Just last Sunday I put up a post exploring the question of “When can you legally use a gun against an unarmed person?” In that post I explained that deadly force, such as a gun, can be used in lawful self-defense even against an “unarmed” attacker, where the “unarmed” attack...
Just How Confidential IS Mike Brown’s Confidential Juvenile Record?

A self-described “avid reader” of Legal Insurrection has asked us to address the issue of the confidentiality of Mike Brown’s juvenile criminal record (if any), and whether these are likely to be released to the press and public.
Disclaimer: Neither I nor Legal Insurrection knows with certainty whether Mike Brown even has a...
Ferguson Police Begin to Equip with On-Body Cameras

A report from NBC news indicates that police officers in Ferguson, Missouri are being equipped with on-body cameras in the aftermath of the shooting of Michael Brown by Officer Darren Wilson.
The picture above captures an example of footage...
When can you legally use a gun against an unarmed person?

One of the most common laments to come out of Ferguson these last days has been that surely it was outrageous for Office Darren Wilson to use his service pistol to shoot an “unarmed” Mike Brown. (Earlier iterations of this narrative went further in their misinformation, describing the 18-year-old 6’4″ 292...
A Conundrum? New Orleans Murders Fall as Self-Defense Killings Rise

It’s become so commonplace for “journalists” to be blind to obvious cause-and-effect relationships that fall outside the acceptable Progressive narrative that James Taranto of the Wall Street Journal has long used the tag-line “Fox Butterfield, Is That You?” as he notes these occurrences in his daily (and excellent) “Best of the Web”...
Detroit Porch Shooting: Defendant’s claim of “Accident” cost him “Self-Defense”
One of the key messages I hit in my Law of Self Defense Seminars is that the use of force can only very rarely be both an “accident” AND “self-defense.”
Self-defense is an inherently deliberate act. You perceived a threat, you responded with force against that threat. Deliberate.
An accident is the opposite...
Courts strike California 10-day waiting period and Baton Rouge gun possession restrictions

Just a quick note on a pretty good 24 hours for the Second Amendment with a pair of favorable Federal court decisions out of California and Louisiana, respectively.
Federal Court Rules California 10-day Waiting Period Unconstitutional (for Some)
As reported by Calguns, California’s 10-day waiting period for gun purchases has been ruled unconstitutional...
Did MO Law Allow for Deadly-Force Arrest of Mike Brown?

The shooting in Ferguson MO of robbery suspect Mike Brown by Police Officer Darren Wilson has raised a myriad of social, racial, and legal issues. In this post I’d like to address one of the latter, specifically whether under Missouri law Wilson was authorized to use deadly force to arrest a...
Thankfully, the presumption of innocence applies even in Ferguson

At The New Republic, author Yishai Schwartz argues that “Convicting Darren Wilson Will Be Basically Impossible” because of the presumption of innocence mixed with race and Missouri self-defense law :
We may never know what actually happened during the violent encounter between teenager Michael Brown and policeman Darren Wilson. But legal judgments rarely happen...
Misleading Initial Narrative of Zimmerman-Martin Case Applied in Ferguson

The fatal shooting of the Mike Brown by police officer Darren Wilson has raised a hue and cry about a wide variety of social issues, among them the increasingly vitriolic nature of American race relations, the astonishing militarization of the police (or, perhaps more accurately, their equipment), and the curious (to...
GUILTY: Verdict in Detroit Front Porch Murder Trial

The jury has returned a verdict of guilty of second degree murder/voluntary manslaughter and weapons charges in the trial of Detroit homeowner Theodore Wafer for the front porch shooting death of Renisha McBride in the early morning hours of November 2, 2013. Trial Judge Hathaway has ordered Wafer imprisoned immediately,...
Defense Rests in Detroit Front Porch Murder Trial, Closings Wednesday

Welcome back to the eighth day of the murder trial of Detroit homeowner Theodore Wafer for the shooting death of Renisha McBride on his front porch in the early morning hours of November 2, 2013.
Theodore Wafer Back on Cross-Examination
Wafer was back on cross-examination today, having taken the stand in his own...
Homeowner Takes the Stand in Detroit Front Porch Murder Trial

Court room testimony took a dramatic turn today in the murder trial of Detroit homeowner Theodore Wafer for the front porch shooting death of Renisha McBride when Wafer took the stand to testify in his own behalf.
Direct questioning was conduced by lead defense counsel Cheryl Carpenter. (As usual for this trial...
Detroit Front Porch Shooting Case: What you need to know heading into Week 3

Tomorrow marks the start of the third week of the second degree murder trial of Detroit homeowner Theodore Wafer for the front porch shooting death of Renisha McBride in the early morning hours of November 2, 2013. This past week saw the milestone of the prosecution resting and...