duty to retreat

[doo-tee tuh ri-treet, dyoo-tee]

noun

Law.

1. a legal principle that requires a person as a first response to back away or flee from a threatening situation rather than attempt self-defense by deadly force.

   Duty to retreat has always been a debatable doctrine.

Word History and Origins

Origin of duty to retreat¹

First recorded in 1780–90

Example Sentences

Using a 2024 analysis by Rand, a nonprofit research group, the Journal classified 30 states as having stand-your-ground laws if statutes explicitly eliminate the duty to retreat in public places and allow individuals to use deadly force if they reasonably believe they face imminent death or serious harm.

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Under stand-your-ground laws, a person no longer had the duty to retreat in any place they were legally allowed to be.

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“When a violent criminal presents a life-or-death scenario for a law-abiding gun owner, they should not have to worry about meeting arbitrary ‘duty to retreat’ laws that could cost them their lives,” the National Rifle Association said in a statement.

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She’s battled against Florida’s so-called stand your ground law, which removes the duty to retreat before using deadly force in the face of danger and was used as a self-defense argument at Zimmerman’s trial, resulting in his acquittal.

Read more on Seattle Times

Nebraska is among a handful of states where the law says a person has a duty to retreat from threat if they can do so safely before using deadly force, with the exception of a person’s home or workplace.

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