[bfsmith7]

Mas,

The more I read about the ins and outs of arming oneself for self-defense, the more I realize that I do not know enough. Particularly about the legal aspects of a self-defense shooting and how to deal with the aftermath. I wondered if you might have some suggested reading for the CC'er/home defender on these matters and any others. Perhaps one of your books? Perhaps several books? Any advice would be appreciated and, as always, thank you for all you do.

[Mas Ayoob]

Two I can recommend to start with would be my book "In the Gravest Extreme: the Role of the Firearm in Personal Protection," and "In Self-Defense" by Mike Izumi, both available from Police Bookshelf, 800-624 9049.

I would also recommend taking one or more weekdays off and spending them in a legal library. You'll generally find one in the courthouse at the county seat of the county where you live. Yes, they're open to the public, and the legal librarians are generally delighted to see an ordinary citizen come in to take advantage of their facility. (Leave your gun in the car...it's usually part of the courthouse.)

Ask the librarian to show you where to find the statutes and criminal codes/penal codes of your state as they relate to weapons, self-defense, assault, and every type of homicide. Be sure to check the updated softbound supplements, which are generally to the right of the array on the bookshelves. Then ask to see the CJS, the Corpus Juris Secundum, and look up the same principles. This in turn will lead you to relevant caselaw. Finally, if they have a copy of "Warren on Homicide," plan on spending a few hours with that too.

That should give you a good start.

best of luck,

Mas

[bfsmith7]

Thank you very much. I'm in the process of ordering the first two books now, and, though the legal reading sounds rather intimidating, i suppose knowing the law is a must. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

[RussP]

Originally Posted by bfsmith7

Thank you very much. I'm in the process of ordering the first two books now, and, though the legal reading sounds rather intimidating, i suppose knowing the law is a must. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

A little tip a lawyer gave me long, long time ago: Break up your discovery topic into manageable bites, small bites. Once you understand one part, THEN go to the next one.

Now, of course he told me that after, AFTER I spent a week researching a too broad topic, never getting into much depth on anything. I knew enough to get into trouble, but not enough to get out of trouble.

Hope that helps belay your fear of reading the law.