Homicide for the Sake of Honor: What Dueling and Stand-Your-Ground Laws Share in Common

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2026

Abstract

Nineteenth-century dueling and today’s “Stand-Your-Ground” laws differ in many respects. A salient difference, however, isthat, by well into the nineteenth century, nearly all states in the United States had prohibited the lethal practice of dueling, while today a majority of states authorize persons to use lethal force in self-defense in places in which they ordinarily have a right to be, despite their ability to retreat with complete safety. That difference is both significant and paradoxical because, at their core, safeguarding the pride of persons who, though capable of avoiding bloodshed without any physical danger to themselves, prefer instead to put the lives of themselves and others at risk for the sake of honor.

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