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As is reasonable. When someone waves around a weapon, or has announced or otherwise demonstrated an intention to harm you, or is clearly too aggressive to de-escalate, and is physically capable of crippling or killing you, and leaving is not an option because he's already bearing down on you...then yes, of course you have to escalate as far as you have to in order to save yourself. Aside any legal or "moral" concerns, what else are you supposed to do? Gamble on your ability to BJJ your way out? Hope the other guy quits short of bashing your brains out? Bet on the police and paramedics to arrive in time to sew up all the holes the other guy cut into you?
All the Germans getting stabbed, pushed in front of trains or axed in the head by hobby terrorists sure are glad they didn't accidentally kill their assailants. Thank God we're not armed. We sure are morally superior to those savage Americans who just kill people for credibly trying to kill them!
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