physical altercation and handgunMy 26 year old son-in-law and his mother approached me (47 year old man) as I sat in my car. He said he wan...

Question

physical altercation and handgun

My 26 year old son-in-law and his mother approached me (47 year old man) as I sat in my car. He said he wanted to talk, then proceeded to beat me and pull me thru window of car. I pulled my pistol from the car, told them to move out of my way and I left. My question is can I be arrested or get in trouble for defending myself with a pistol? I have no criminal record.

Answer

Re: physical altercation and handgun

Well, it sounds like from your account of what happened that you didn't fire the weapon so you obviously can't be arrested for any type of assault or attempt crime. The only crime that might apply here is "menacing", which means intentionally putting a person in fear of physical harm. It does sound like you acted in self-defense, which would probably be a successful defense to any charge, assuming your account is accurate and there is no evidence to the contrary out there somewhere.