How About Your State?

[Denverd0n]

Florida is very similar in that they don't look at your ID when you go to vote...

They look at my ID every time I go to vote.

 

[biku324]

In NM you have to sign in - they electronically compare that to your driver's license signature.

 

[zeke]

For presidential/governor votes i absentee vote early in person. Id, signature and official witness required.

 

[Bald1]

This is an excellent question, and, IMHO, one that anyone who carries a weapon in public should think long and hard about.

In my own state use of lethal force in defense of myself is justified if I believe I am at risk of death or grievous bodily harm.

Use of lethal force in defense of others is a different story altogether. What I *believe* isn’t relevant; the actual facts are. If the guy I see assaulting a female turns out to be a plainclothes cop detaining a suspect, I am screwed. Likewise if the person I believe is being assaulted by a violent partner tells a different story when questioned.

If I am traveling I will almost certainly be unfamiliar with local laws, so I have no intention of using deadly force (including drawing and brandishing a firearm) unless I am genuinely in fear for the life of myself or my beloved.

If I see a guy run into an elementary school carrying an AK I might have to re-think my position.

Victim being assaulted by violent partner can and will change their story. As a 4 or 5 yr old my dad and I were walking through a Twin Fair dept store parking lot. There was a guy smacking a woman around pretty good. I’m talking closed fist. My dad intervened and knocked the guy senseless. The “victim” proceeds to scream and jump on my dads back. He flung her off onto hood of their car. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Her man was beating her to a pulp yet she was trying to defend him. We got in dads car and drove away. I often wonder if the police ever came.

 

[Jack Flash]

In Michigan, you need to

Complete a training course, usually takes a day or less including range time,
Get fingerprinted (prints forwarded to State Police),
Fill out a form,
Pay $100

 

[LVSteve]

Victim being assaulted by violent partner can and will change their story.

That's because for many, leaving a relationship or having the partner prosecuted brings the shame of having your relationship described as "failed" by others (family are the worst), and this is far worse than the pain of a good kicking, apparently.

No, I don't get it, either.

 

[Wyo]

I presided at an assault trial where the victim had been beaten by her boyfriend in their apartment. She escaped and ran out to a parking lot where she got into a car and attempted to leave. She had rolled up her windows and locked the doors. The boyfriend followed her out to the lot where he punched out the glass on the driver’s side window. Then he dragged her out through the window by her hair and kicked the snot out of her while she was on the ground. Numerous neighbors, who were later witnesses, saw all of this. The victim testified at trial, under oath, that the boyfriend had done nothing. It was all just a big misunderstanding. Other witnesses said differently and he went away for a while. Saw this sort of thing time and time again. I understand the “why” of it, and there can be lots of reasons, but it was always terribly frustrating when you were trying to help someone. Especially when you would see them again a few weeks later with black eyes and a broken nose - again.

 

[Iggy]

As a police officer responding to family disturbance calls, I often found myself the instant enemy of both sides of dispute. The female complainant would often try to assault me if I arrested her husband.

 

[johngalt]

MN qualification is 12 rounds to demonstrate you can safely handle a firearm (not scored). Any firearm can be used, it does not restrict your carry firearm in any way. I used my .22 target auto.

 

[bulletslap]

In Texas the LTC course seems to be a conflict resolution lecture, with a little shooting. I believe a legally blind person could pass the shooting portion. I am not complaining, considering the average Texan and new comers; concentration on staying out of gunplay is probably the primary concern.