Of course, as long as the legal requirements are met: A Reasonable assessment... of Imminent... Danger... of Lethal Harm. If a reasonable person would acknowledge that the danger is imminent, and potentially lethal (basically any grievous injury, which includes rape), you're following the law. Now, as to whether a jury or Liberal Prosecutor will also follow the law is a different latter these days. A man carrying a gun is not meeting the criteria. A man pointing a gun (at anyone) is. Parading Leftist idiots is not. Four masked men with sticks beating an elderly man is. Got it?
It depends on the state and the level of threat, which does not have to be lethal most places I go, just “serious”. When a mob is attacking the innocent, and as soon as a punch is thrown by a masked member of that mob, the criteria for lethal force are met in many states.
“The accused must have had reasonable grounds to believe himself in apparent imminent or immediate danger of death or serious bodily harm from his assailant or potential assailant”
“In the case of ‘nondeadly force,’ ‘reasonable’ is defined as that amount of force that is necessary to protect oneself from imminent bodily harm. This suggests that an element of proportionality. A person may also use ‘deadly force’ in order to protect oneself from imminent danger of death or serious bodily harm. The second requirement is that the danger of bodily harm be ‘imminent.’”
“The law of self-defense is the law of necessity, and the necessity relied upon must not arise out of defendant’s own misconduct. Accordingly, a defendant must reasonably fear death or serious bodily harm to himself at the hands of his victim.”
Key elements:
- belief in some form of imminent/immediate risk of death or serious bodily harm,
- reasonableness of that belief,
- danger can be to oneself or another,
- the user of lawful deadly force cannot be responsible for the confrontation, and
- proportionality - the force must in some sense be proportional or reasonable for the level of threat.
Note: A “duty to retreat” may also be present in some states.
Also note: It is important to review these laws, especially in today’s climate, for anywhere you might go.