Montana: Know The Difference: Castle Doctrine V Stand Your Ground

In Montana, A Person Is Allowed To Use Lethal Force To Defend Themselves In Their Home.

It's called the Castle Doctrine.  From Merriam Webster:

a legal rule or doctrine that a lawful occupant of a home has no duty to retreat from an intruder when acting in self-defense or in the defense of another in the reasonable belief that they are in danger of death or bodily harm

Get our free mobile app

What Happens If A Threat Happens Outside Your Home In Montana?

From Shouse Law:

The stand your ground doctrine allows you to use proportional force to reasonably defend yourself at any location where you have a legal right to be.

So, they're the same, but not really.  Again, from Shouse Law:

The castle doctrine allows you to use deadly force against intruders to defend yourself within your own home.

In contrast, the stand your ground doctrine allows you to use proportional force to reasonably defend yourself at any location where you have a legal right to be.

Both doctrines require no duty to retreat.

Basically, In Montana, You Have The Legal Right To Defend Yourself If You're In Imminent Danger

That doesn't mean you can just shoot people anywhere in Montana.  Just because we have these laws, doesn't mean there aren't rules around them.

A friend who knows a lot about guns and how to legally use them, wanted me to remind all of you that in any kind of active shooter scenario, the police have no time, and are under no obligation, to discern which shooter in a situation is a good guy and which is a bad guy.  I think that's really sound information.  We all think since we ARE the good guy, we look like the good guy.  Not really always the case.