Okla. Stat. tit. 21, § 21-1289.25

This is the official text of Okla. Stat. tit. 21, § 21-1289.25, part of Oklahoma’s Stat. tit. 21, — part of the compiled statutory law of Oklahoma, published by the state as "Stat. tit. 21,." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.

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Physical or deadly force

Official statutory text

PHYSICAL OR DEADLY FORCE

A. The Legislature hereby recognizes that the citizens of the

State of Oklahoma have a right to expect absolute safety within

their own homes, places of business, occupied premises, or places of

worship and have the right to establish policies regarding the

possession of weapons on property pursuant to the provisions of

Section 1290.22 of this title.

B. A person, regardless of official capacity or lack of

official capacity, within a place of worship or a person, an owner,

manager or employee of a business is presumed to have held a

reasonable fear of imminent peril of death or great bodily harm to

himself or herself or another when using defensive force that is

intended or likely to cause death or great bodily harm to another

if:

1. a. The person against whom the defensive force was used

was in the process of unlawfully and forcefully

entering, or had unlawfully and forcibly entered, a

dwelling, residence, occupied vehicle, place of

business, occupied premises, or place of worship, or

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 21. Crimes and Punishments Page 611

if that person had removed or was attempting to remove

another against the will of that person from the

dwelling, residence, occupied vehicle, place of

business, occupied premises, or place of worship.

b. The person who uses defensive force knew or had reason

to believe that an unlawful and forcible entry or

unlawful and forcible act on the occupied premises was

occurring or had occurred; or

2. The person who uses defensive force knew or had a reasonable

belief that the person against whom the defensive force was used

entered or was attempting to enter into a dwelling, residence,

occupied vehicle, place of business, occupied premises, or place of

worship for the purpose of committing a forcible felony, as defined

in Section 733 of this title, and that the defensive force was

necessary to prevent the commission of the forcible felony.

C. The presumption set forth in subsection B of this section

does not apply if:

1. The person against whom the defensive force is used has the

right to be in or is a lawful resident of the dwelling, residence,

or vehicle, such as an owner, lessee, or titleholder, and there is

not a protective order from domestic violence in effect or a written

pretrial supervision order of no contact against that person;

2. The person or persons sought to be removed are children or

grandchildren, or are otherwise in the lawful custody or under the

lawful guardianship of, the person against whom the defensive force

is used; or

3. The person who uses defensive force is engaged in an

unlawful activity or is using the dwelling, residence, occupied

vehicle, place of business or place of worship to further an

unlawful activity.

D. A person who is not engaged in an unlawful activity and who

is attacked in any other place where he or she has a right to be has

no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground and

meet force with force, including deadly force, if he or she

reasonably believes it is necessary to do so to prevent death or

great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the

commission of a forcible felony.

E. A person who unlawfully and by force enters or attempts to

enter the dwelling, residence, occupied vehicle of another person,

place of business, occupied premises, or place of worship is

presumed to be doing so with the intent to commit an unlawful act

involving force or violence.

F. A person who uses defensive force, as permitted pursuant to

the provisions of subsections A, B, D and E of this section, is

justified in using such defensive force and is immune from and shall

not be subject to criminal prosecution and civil action for the use

of such defensive force. As used in this subsection, the term

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 21. Crimes and Punishments Page 612

"criminal prosecution" includes charging or prosecuting the

defendant.
he provisions of subsections A, B, D and E of this section, is

justified in using such defensive force and is immune from and shall

not be subject to criminal prosecution and civil action for the use

of such defensive force. As used in this subsection, the term

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 21. Crimes and Punishments Page 612

"criminal prosecution" includes charging or prosecuting the

defendant.

G. A law enforcement agency may use standard procedures for

investigating the use of defensive force, but the law enforcement

agency may not arrest the person for using defensive force unless it

determines that there is probable cause that the defensive force

that was used was unlawful.

H. The court shall award reasonable attorney fees, court costs,

compensation for loss of income, and all expenses incurred by the

defendant in defense of any civil action brought by a plaintiff if

the court finds that the defendant is immune from and not subject to

prosecution as provided in subsection F of this section.

I. The provisions of this section and the provisions of the

Oklahoma Self-Defense Act shall not be construed to require any

person using a weapon pursuant to the provisions of this section to

be licensed in any manner.

J. A person pointing a weapon at a perpetrator in self-defense

or in order to thwart, stop or deter a forcible felony or attempted

forcible felony shall not be deemed guilty of committing a criminal

act.

K. 1. The defensive display of a firearm or other deadly

weapon by a person is justified when and to the extent a reasonable

person believes that physical force is immediately necessary to

protect himself, herself, or another person against the use or

attempted use of unlawful physical or deadly force by a person,

premises owner or controller in self-defense, or in defense of real

or private property, located on any premises, owned, rented, leased,

or occupied by permission of the premises owner or controller,

whether or not a person is in possession of a valid handgun license

issued pursuant to the provisions of the Oklahoma Self-Defense Act,

and shall not be deemed a criminal act.

2. The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to a

person who:

a. intentionally provokes another person to use or

attempt to use unlawful physical or deadly force, or

b. uses a firearm during the commission of an unlawful

act involving force or violence.

3. The provisions of this subsection do not require the

defensive display of a firearm or any other deadly weapon before the

use of defensive force or the threat of defensive force by a person

who is justified in the use or threatened use of defensive force.

4. For purposes of this subsection, "defensive display of a

firearm" includes, but is not limited to:

a. verbally informing another person that the person

possesses or has available a firearm or any other

deadly weapon,

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 21. Crimes and Punishments Page 613

b. exposing or displaying a firearm or any other deadly

weapon in a manner that a reasonable person would

understand was meant to protect the person against the

use or attempted use by another of unlawful physical

or deadly force, or

c. placing the hand of the person on a firearm or any

other deadly weapon while the firearm is contained in

a pocket, purse, holster, sling scabbard, case or

other means of containment or transport.

L. As used in this section:

1. "Defensive force" includes, but shall not be limited to,

pointing a weapon at a perpetrator in self-defense or in order to

thwart, stop or deter a forcible felony or attempted forcible

felony;

2. "Dwelling" means a building or conveyance of any kind,

including any attached porch, whether the building or conveyance is

temporary or permanent, mobile or immobile, which has a roof over

it, including a tent, and is designed to be occupied by people;

3. "Occupied premises" means any premises occupied by an owner,
to

thwart, stop or deter a forcible felony or attempted forcible

felony;

2. "Dwelling" means a building or conveyance of any kind,

including any attached porch, whether the building or conveyance is

temporary or permanent, mobile or immobile, which has a roof over

it, including a tent, and is designed to be occupied by people;

3. "Occupied premises" means any premises occupied by an owner,

tenant, lessee, business, place of worship, liquor store, guest or

authorized user of the premises, including their agents;

4. "Place of worship" means:

a. any permanent building, structure, facility or office

space owned, leased, rented or borrowed, on a full-

time basis, when used for worship services, activities

and business of the congregation, which may include,

but not be limited to, churches, temples, synagogues

and mosques, and

b. any permanent building, structure, facility or office

space owned, leased, rented or borrowed for use on a

temporary basis, when used for worship services,

activities and business of the congregation including,

but not limited to, churches, temples, synagogues and

mosques;

5. "Residence" means a dwelling in which a person resides

either temporarily or permanently or is visiting as an invited

guest; and

6. "Vehicle" means a conveyance of any kind, whether or not

motorized, which is designed to transport people or property.

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

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