Legal Question in Criminal Law in Maryland

In Maryland, if a person has a legal permit to carry a firearm, and is attacked by more than one unarmed aggressor, do they have the right to use deadly force considering they are outnumbered (especially if they are disabled)? In other words, is there ever a valid deadly force situation (in Maryland) when the aggressor is not armed? The reason for my question is because I do have a valid permit and notice that many crimes of late involve groups of young people (gangs jumping victims, etc.) but, they are rarely carrying guns. I am armed but think that would be a very difficult situation to deal with. They obviously do not have the right to beat me and put me (a single parent) in the hospital or grave, but since they are not armed what does the law allow me to do to protect myself?


Asked on 3/23/10, 8:22 pm

2 Answers from Attorneys
William Welch William L. Welch, III Attorney

The law permits you to use reasonable force to defend yourself. What is reasonable depends on the specific facts in each case. A person may not introduce deadly force unless confronted with like force or else the initial victim commits an assault.

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Answered on 3/29/10, 4:32 am
Jason Cleckner Law Office of Jason Cleckner, LLC

If it is reasonable to say that 3 guys on one disabled guy, beating him to death, constitutes deadly force, then you can shoot. But who wants to get to that point? We all want to shoot BEFORE we get our asses kicked, not wait until we're being killed to be able to use deadly force, right? It's a very tricky proposition. Personally, I wouldn't want to rest my freedom on what a juror thinks is reasonable. Therefore, I wouldn't shoot unless the other guy definitely has a gun/knife.

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Answered on 3/29/10, 6:14 am


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