Is Arizona a stand-your-ground state?

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Accepted Answer

Yes — Arizona is a stand-your-ground state, though no single statute bears that name. Instead, Arizona law contains three separate no-duty-to-retreat clauses, each tied to a different justification for using force.

1. Ordinary self-defense with deadly force. A person is justified in using physical force when a reasonable person would believe it immediately necessary to protect against another's use or attempted use of unlawful physical force, subject to exceptions such as responding to verbal provocation alone, resisting a known peace-officer arrest, or having provoked the encounter without withdrawing . Building on that, a person is justified in using deadly physical force when justified in using physical force under the self-defense statute and a reasonable person would believe deadly force is immediately necessary against the other's use or attempted use of unlawful deadly physical force . The no-retreat clause states: "A person has no duty to retreat before threatening or using deadly physical force pursuant to this section if the person is in a place where the person may legally be and is not engaged in an unlawful act" .

2. Crime prevention. A person is justified in using physical or deadly force to prevent specified offenses, including arson of an occupied structure, second or first degree burglary, kidnapping, manslaughter, second or first degree murder, sexual conduct with a minor, sexual assault, child molestation, armed robbery, and certain aggravated assaults . The no-retreat clause states: "There is no duty to retreat before threatening or using physical force or deadly physical force justified by subsection A of this section" . A person is presumed to be acting reasonably when acting to prevent what they reasonably believe is the imminent or actual commission of one of those listed offenses, and this justification applies in the person's home, residence, place of business, owned or leased land, any conveyance, or any other place in the state where the person has a right to be .

3. Defense of a residential structure or occupied vehicle. A person is justified in using physical or deadly force against someone unlawfully or forcefully entering (or who has entered) a residential structure or occupied vehicle, or removing or attempting to remove someone against their will from it, if the person reasonably believes they or another are in imminent peril of death or serious physical injury . The no-retreat clause states: "A person has no duty to retreat before threatening or using physical force or deadly physical force pursuant to this section" .

In short, Arizona law imposes no duty to retreat in any of these three contexts, which is the practical meaning of "stand your ground" .