Recognizing a Threat

A defensive response is based on your ability to recognize a threat, assess the threat, and then selecting the most reasonable, legal course of action. 

Whenever possible, the use of lethal force should be your last resort, when you have tried all reasonable alternatives.  The alternatives to using force range from 

  • Avoidance 
  • Retreat
  • De-escalation
  • Hiding
  • Non-lethal force 
  • Lethal force

Let's look at avoidance first.