Legalized Killing examines the self-defense laws of America, especially the so-called castle laws of states like Texas and Oklahoma, where citizens can use deadly force even if they merely think they are threatened, which in hindsight might not be true. These laws supposedly protect citizens from prosecution if they injure or kill an intruder in self-defense, and they also disallow civil lawsuits against the one defending. But there is an inherent weakness in these laws, which can be found in the answer to a simple question: was it genuine self-defense, where the choice was shoot or die, or...

Legalized Killing examines the self-defense laws of America, especially the so-called castle laws of states like Texas and Oklahoma, where citizens can use deadly force even if they merely think they are threatened, which in hindsight might not be true. These laws supposedly protect citizens from prosecution if they injure or kill an intruder in self-defense, and they also disallow civil lawsuits against the one defending. But there is an inherent weakness in these laws, which can be found in the answer to a simple question: was it genuine self-defense, where the choice was shoot or die, or...