Modules 04–05
Use-of-Force Law
Carrying a firearm means carrying legal responsibility. This track breaks down California's use-of-force statutes and what's actually at stake, in plain language, before it ever matters.
Carrying a firearm means carrying legal responsibility. This track breaks down California's use-of-force statutes and what's actually at stake, in plain language, before it ever matters.
A clear walkthrough of when California law permits the use of force, how courts interpret "reasonable belief," and where the line actually sits.
What happens after the incident is over. We cover the realistic legal exposure a permit holder faces, and how sound decisions before and during an incident affect the outcome.
Marksmanship is the easy part of concealed carry. Most students can be taught to shoot accurately in a day. What takes real instruction is the decision that comes before the shot, because California judges that decision against a written standard that almost nobody reads until they are sitting in a courtroom.
A jury is handed CALCRIM No. 505 and asked three questions. Did you actually and reasonably believe you faced imminent death or great bodily injury? Did you believe immediate force was necessary? Did you use no more force than was reasonably necessary to stop the threat? Fail any one of those and the justification collapses, no matter how frightened you were.
This module walks through that framework in plain language: what "imminent" means under People v. Aris, why Penal Code 198 says bare fear is not enough, how the Castle Doctrine presumption works inside your home, and the moment the legal privilege to use force ends. You will also learn what happens after, because a criminal acquittal does not end your exposure in civil court.
Read the full breakdown in our guide to when deadly force is justified in California, or the companion piece on defending a third party.