The question as it is posed is hopelessly general.
We've got several parallel discussions going as a result. Some discussing the situation where retreat is completely safe, some discussing retreat when it endangers the defender, some discussing retreat in one's own home, some discussing retreat on an international scale, retreat from attackers, retreat from evil in principle, retreat from dictators and their morally bankrupt policies, etc., etc.
AND, we've even got one minor attempt to spin up a sub-discussion on whether deadly force should be used to kill or to stop.
I'm gonna lock this one.
But before I do there I feel obligated to point out a seriously flawed interpretation of TX law found on this thread:
Quote:
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After reading that excerpt, it seems pretty clear that if I see somebody stealing my hubcaps off of my car, it, I can shoot him in the back with my 12 gauge, and take them back.
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ABSOLUTELY NOT!
First of all, based just on the excerpt, you will be committing murder unless the theft occurs during the nighttime. Taking hubcaps is simple theft.
Second, the excerpt clearly points out that deadly force can only be used if the owner "reasonably believes" there's no other option that won't expose the owner to "a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury".
Third, that excerpt is not a quote from the actual TX statutes. There's more to it than that. The TX statutes are online if anyone wants to verify exactly what they say.