In the state of Maryland, in order to have one’s actions justified as self-defense, the victim must be able to prove that they had “reasonable grounds to believe himself in apparent imminent or immediate danger of death or serious bodily harm from his assailant or potential assailant,” and that the actions they took were a response to the danger they felt. Therefore, if an assailant hits me, I have the right to hit them back and if they say they are going to kill me, I then have the right to kill them in pursuit of saving my own life. Correspondingly, if my assailants punched me and I decide to just stab in the chest to kill them, I am in the wrong. My assailant showed no intentions of killing me; therefore, my stabbing of my assailant to kill them would be unreasonable and excessive.
After one defends themselves from an attack, they must then prove to the court that all their actions were justifiable acts of self-defense. If a victim is unable to prove their actions were a result of self-defense they can face criminal charges. Similarly, if the victim claims self-defense the courts must decide which form, so they can be found not guilty. The forms of self-defense are self-defense, defense of others, defense of habitation, and defense of property. Each form has factors that decide whether the victim meets the requirements or