Duty to Retreat

Duty to retreat is the law in thirteen states and the District of Columbia. The law basically states that if you are attacked by an assailant then you are legally obligated to retreat to a place of safety if possible. Depending on the state certain circumstances such as your location at the time of the incident apply. An example being New York, where duty to retreat does not apply only when you are within your home. While other states put exceptions to the rule such as if you are in a vehicle, place of work, etc. In rare instances, such as in New Jersey, duty to retreat can even apply to inside of the home in some circumstances.

It has been harshly criticized by second amendment advocates and viewed as an attempt to restrict the right of self defense. Overall, 'duty to retreat' seems utterly pointless and even dangerous. The last thing a person wants to do if they face a threat is to turn their back to that threat and attempt to run, especially if they have a weapon they can use to protect themselves. And it quite simply seems idiotic to place a person behind bars simply because a judge and jury who wasn't there can say that they could have ran away from a knife wielding mugger. Duty to retreat is not enforced on officers of the law, then why are they being placed on citizens?